#but really begrudgingly and she is very bitter about it

[wonlovie]

— ALWAYS.

After being broken up with, the cherry on top was receiving an invitation to your ex-boyfriend's wedding, leaving you breaking at the seams. Luckily for you, your childhood best friend is there to keep you together.

— starring. childhood bestfriend!jake x fem!reader ft. the slightest appearance of niki, mentions of ex!heeseung and le sserafim's chaewon (she was the first one i thought of LOL)

— tags. friends-to-lovers, slowburn, minor angst, jake is highkey a thigh guy, road trip!!, the oh-no-there's-only-one-bed trope several times over, smut [fem. masturbation while in the same bed, vaginal fingering, oral (f. receiving), handjob, very soft-dom!jake, first time, praising, unprotected sex, reader cries, use of petnames (princess, pretty girl, baby; he also calls you a whore/slut like,, twice) kind of but not really fwb situation [MINORS DNI]]

— word count. 14.3k

— notes. this is the first fic i've posted here!! i also started writing this like,, the day i got covid so if some sentences make zero sense it's because i was loopy af lmAOO on another note jake??? sim jake??? writing this wasnt good for my heart bc he was driving me insane the whOLE TIME

SIXTEEN DAYS.

When you got the invitation in the mail, a single piece of cardstock carefully decorated with ornate blue lace and beautifully handwritten script, you had half the mind to ignore it. Throw it in the trash, maybe. If the sender asked, you could feign innocence. It got lost in the mail, and perhaps I never received it at all.

Unfortunately for you, your conscience kicked you swiftly in the ass before you could even step on your trash bin pedal. 

Begrudgingly, you really had no choice but to go. After all, it was your cousin’s wedding—a day you had both raved about since you were young children. You could still recall the silly Pinterest boards you put together, regrettably filled with tacky and outdated decor. Your cousin, Chaewon, even called you before the invitation was sent to your box, her excited voice crawling out of your phone speaker and taunting you with sharp licks against your ear.

You should be happy. Really, you should. Aside from Lemon, your newly adopted Jindo puppy, Chaewon was your favourite. Despite moving across the country for university, you were there for her as she was for you. Not a single day went by without an hour-long phone call between the two of you, filled to the brim with conversation or spent in peaceful silence.

The issue wasn’t Chaewon. No, it was far worse than that. The issue was her husband-to-be, a man you despised with every cell of your being.

Lee Heeseung. In other words, your ex. 

It was jarring for you to see the very man who seemed to date you out of pity, never truly initiating intimacy or even trying to pretend to be interested in the things you’d tell him, be so sweet to Chaewon. You had, unfortunately, witnessed their love firsthand on multiple occasions. The longing glances, the whispered sweet nothings, the subtle caresses when they thought no one was looking. 

You hated how bitter you felt about it. His last words to you felt like they were tattooed onto your eyelids.

“I’m sorry, but… I don’t think we should date anymore. I think I’ve found someone else.”

Of course, you were heartbroken. Heeseung was your first boyfriend and your first love. You had tried so damn hard to be the receiver of his affections, but your efforts always fell short. The next week, Chaewon approached you with tears brimming her eyes, begging for forgiveness; you knew that whatever you had with Heeseung was officially history. 

Chaewon, the angel, denied his advances until you pushed her to say yes, as you knew she wanted to. 

And now, your decision had come full circle, the ugly truth rearing its head at you. Your feelings for Heeseung were long gone, but with the breakup came a hundred insecurities you didn’t know you had, hence the big move. Maybe with space, you could heal.

“Stupid,” you whispered as your eyes scanned the invitation for the nth time in the past ten minutes. You rubbed harshly at your eyes, forcing the tears away. With a shaking finger, you traced the wedding date, briefly glancing up at the dog calendar that hung on the wall next to your fridge. 

Gingerly dropping the invitation onto the kitchen counter, you quietly counted the days left. The wedding was just over two weeks away, a beautiful August wedding. You don’t know how long you stood there, goosebumps prickling on your thighs as the morning air brushed against them. Your oversized tee did little to combat the cold.

A quiet knocking at the door made you jump. Swearing under your breath, you swiped at your cheeks to rid any evidence of tears. You shuffled to the front door and peeked through the peephole. A man stood there, hands in his jeans pockets, as he waited for you to answer. However, his head was down, which blocked his face from view.

When you didn’t answer right away, he knocked again just as gently as he had before. This time, though, he called out your name. 

Startled, you paused with your hands pressed against the door, eyes still pressed against the peephole. You knew that voice, instantly recognizing the accent that spilled into his words. Pulling the door open, your suspicions were correct when you were met with your childhood best friend, Jake.

A wide grin pulled at the corners of your lips as you looked the man up and down. “Holy shit,” you started, laughter in your voice. “What are you doing here?” Stepping back to let him in, you eyed his wide shoulders as he bent over to untie his shoes. “You never said you were coming to visit.”

Jake lazily smiled up at you as he tugged off the last shoe. His eyes drifted down for a second, catching sight of your bare legs. Not a moment later, he averted them. “Damn, hello to you too, sweets.” When he stood to his full height, he leaned into a comfortable slouch, shoving his hands into the pockets of his well-worn jeans. “Chaewon didn’t tell you?” He tilted his head at you in question.

Shaking your head no, you headed to the kitchen where you left your phone. Finding your chatroom with Chaewon, you scanned the contents quickly. “Look—”

You turned to show Jake your previous texts, but as you swivelled on your heel, you hadn’t expected him to be so close. You jumped slightly, the small of your back pressing into the cool countertop as Jake hovered over you, seemingly inches away. You could practically count his every lash from your angle, not missing how his eyes scanned your face.

Apparently, he didn’t expect to be so close either, as the tips of his ears reddened. “My bad,” as he moved to give you space. He pushed back his hair—when had he dyed it blonde?— to see your screen better. Reading quickly, he snorted at Chaewon’s lack of warning for his arrival, her last message simply being: ;).

“I thought you knew I’d be coming, so I didn’t bother sending a text,” he explained. “Chae wants me to be your escort to the wedding.”

“My what?”

Jake grinned at you, flashing his pearly whites. “Y’know, your stead. Your chauffeur. Your knight in shining armour, if you will.”

“Those aren’t the same in the slightest, Jake.”

“You get what I mean, sweets.” 

You hummed, resting your palms atop the counter by your sides. “Why so early, though? The wedding isn’t for a couple of weeks.” He opened his mouth to say something, but a sharp yip from your bedroom interrupted him. You practically watched as elation flooded his senses when he spun on the spot, searching for the sound source.

Pushing yourself off the counter, you lightly bumped his shoulder with your own as you manoeuvred around him. “Looks like someone’s awake,” you sang as you headed down the hall. You could hear Jake’s heavier, sock-clad footsteps following you into your bedroom as you called out for Lemon.

The little pup bounded toward you, jumping from your bed with a tail that wagged so fast you were concerned she’d sprain it. With her tongue out, she hopped on her hind legs, unsure of whether she should greet you or Jake first. “Lemon, this is Jake,” you introduced as you picked her up. Gently moving her paw in a waving motion, you smiled at him. “Jake, this is the love of my life, Lemon.”

He sent you a teasing smile, “I thought that was my title.” You flushed at the unexpected remark. Before you could respond, he turned to Lemon with a soft expression. “Hi, Lemon. Hope you’re taking good care of sweets for me.” Cooing at the pup, he booped her nose.

Without a word, you motioned for him to follow you back to the living room, situating yourself on the small leather couch worn from years of hand-me-down use. Lemon hopped off your lap, her tail wagging as she beckoned Jake to sit down. He was quick to join you, sitting close enough for your knees to touch when Jake shifted his body to face you. You scanned him up and down.

He’d changed a bit, clearly, since the last you saw him. He wasn’t nearly as scrawny as before, his broad frame apparent from under his unzipped jacket. He had lost the baby fat in his cheeks, leaving behind a sharp jawline. The biggest change to note was his hair. Long gone were the black tresses, and in their place were soft blond locks.

In other words, he was hot.

“When did this happen?” you asked as he shrugged his jacket off, reaching up to twist a strand with your finger. “It looks good on you.”

Jake sent you a teasing look, the corners of his lips tugging upwards. “You would’ve known I went blond like a month and a half ago if you actually read your messages,” he chided, clicking his tongue. His eyes stayed on you, flitting across your face.

“Whatever,” you hushed, “I’ve just been busy with school.” It's a lie, but he doesn’t need to know that. No one needed to know that you’ve spent the last few months acting like a heartbroken teen when you were a grown adult. Despite Jake having seen the worst parts of you in high school, you still wanted him to hold some esteem for you.

For a second, it was quiet aside from Lemon’s quiet sniffing, her nose working quickly on Jake’s discarded coat. Jake held eye contact with you, a silent question reflected in his eyes. 

“It’s still weird to me.”

Raising a brow, you rested your elbow on the back of the couch, resting your head against your palm. “What is?”

He stayed silent for a minute before leaning back against the couch, turning his head slightly to face you. “I can’t just walk down the block to annoy you now. Now, you’re four hours away unless I want to spend a few hundred on a plane ticket.” He stuck out his tongue, “‘Dunno why you didn’t stay.” His voice was light, teasing, but you could hear a slight edge to his words.

You huffed, “You know exactly why I left.”

For a moment, neither of you said anything. When Heeseung broke up with you, Jake was the first one you told. Despite being an incoherent, blubbering mess over the phone, he came the instant he heard the first sob rack your body. That night, he held you without a word until your tears ran dry.

“You still hung up about it?”

Pausing, you shook your head. “No,” you bit your lip, not catching the way his eyes darted down to watch, “not anymore, anyway. I don’t feel anything for Heeseung if that’s what you’re asking.” You cracked a sardonic smile at him, punching his shoulder and chuckling when Lemon followed your movement. “Not that pathetic yet, Jake.”

He fully turned his body to you, the leather couch squeaking under his shifting weight. His golden hair fell into his eyes as he bore into yours. “I was there, remember?” His voice was gentle as if he was worried he’d scare you off. “I know it hurt more than you’re letting on. It wasn’t that long ago.”

You silently cursed him for still being able to read you so well, even after so long apart. Absentmindedly, you tugged on the hem of your shirt, playing with the edge that was starting to fray after years of use. Jake leaned forward, placing a warm hand on your bare thigh. “I’ll be there the whole time. If you want me to, I’ll stay right beside you the whole night.”

Your eyes darted to where his large hand rested on your skin, swallowing harshly. “Yeah,” you whispered, looking back up at him through your lashes. “That’d be… really nice, Jake.” You shakily exhaled; his proximity and his touch made your every nerve go haywire. Since when did Jake, your best friend since you were in diapers, have this effect on you? Looking up at the mop of messy blond on his head, you blamed the change in colour.

Jake didn’t say anything for a while but never moved his hand. The two of you sat there, staring into each other's eyes. Lemon had long ago gotten comfy in the small space between you, round eyes closed in rest. “I’ll always be there for you, you know that, right?” He said finally, voice barely above a whisper.

You could only nod, your every thought directed to the hand on your thigh, his thumb rubbing circles on the inside of your leg.

You offered Jake your shower while you went to get his luggage from his car. At first, he refused, telling you that he could get the luggage himself and take a shower afterward, but you had practically shoved him into the bathroom, claiming he smelt bad from the drive. 

Truthfully, he smelt good as ever, having always possessed an addicting scent to you.

Besides, this way, you could clear your head with some fresh air as you left and headed to your apartment parking lot. Easily spotting his car, much newer than any of the models your neighbours had, you jogged over to it. Once inside, you noted how clean the car was, coming as somewhat of a surprise to you. A carwash receipt peaked out from the middle console.

Lugging his suitcase out from the backseat, you were quick to make your way back, lest Jake be left without clothes for too long. Shutting your front door behind you, you nearly let out a scream when, on cue, Jake emerged from a cloud of steam, donning only your fluffy blue towel. He hadn’t noticed you yet, using another towel to shake out the excess water from his hair.

Unknowingly, your eyes followed a bead of water as it trailed down his toned body, disappearing under the towel that threatened to unravel itself, sending your mind into a frenzy. Turning around before he could realize that you were ogling at him like some pervert, you cleared your throat. “Got your suitcase,” you forced out. “You can change in my room if you want.”

“Ah, thanks, sweets.” You listened for his footsteps, tensing as they came closer. “Why so shy?” He inquired with a chuckle at the tip of his tongue. “‘S not like you’ve never seen me naked before.”

“Jake, we were five.”

“Still,” he laughed. You were startled when he patted your shoulder, gently turning you to face him more. You swallowed harshly at the sight of his naked chest up close. “Joking. Thanks for grabbing my stuff.” Without another word, he turned around and disappeared behind your bedroom door.

Letting out a breath, you pressed your forehead against the cool surface of your front door, holding a hand over your heart. Lemon’s tiny paws brought her over to you, the click clicks of her nails against the hardwood taking your attention away from your thoughts. She looked up at you, her head tilted as though she was questioning you. “I must be going crazy, huh?” You knelt down to let her jump on you, her front paws pressing into your leg. 

“Layla’d love her,” Jake’s voice interrupted. You looked up to see him dressed in comfy attire, a dim disappointment settling in your stomach. “You hungry? I can order something for us.”

Rolling your eyes, you stood up. “You’re my guest, Jake. I can order.” You pulled out your phone and open a delivery app. Before you could get too far, the phone was taken from your grasp, left in Jake’s palm as he stared at you in challenge.

With a shake of his head, he denied you. “I may be your guest, but you’re also housing me for two weeks. Plus, I haven’t seen you in forever.” He hunched over to meet your eyes, “My treat. You can pay next time, promise.”

By the time the food arrived, you and Jake had settled in on the couch, a random movie playing on the TV. Quiet chatter filled the space. The movie had already been forgotten, acting as mere background noise to your conversation. You dug into your food without missing a beat, covering your mouth to retort whenever Jake would make a jab at you. 

“You never got to answer my question,” you prompted, putting down your chopsticks and resting the take-out container on the coffee table. “Why’d you come so early? Why not closer to the wedding?”

You watched Jake pause, his expression unreadable. “Would you believe me if I said I just wanted to see you?” he asked, voice low as he turned to look at you. His blond hair had been pushed up and back so many times strands framed his face, allowing you to see all of it. “Because I do,” he continued, shrugging as if he weren’t making your heart race, “I want to see you. All the time.”

Unsure of how to respond, you sputtered for a moment before turning away, your cheeks warm. “I’ve wanted to see you too,” you mumbled, “so thanks. For coming.”

“For you? Always.”

Rolling your eyes, you bumped Jake with your shoulder. “When did you get so cheesy?”

Jake pulled his lower lip under his teeth for a second, biting at the plump flesh as he mulled over an answer. “Just missed you, is all.”

Nodding, you turned your head to watch the rest of the movie. It was confusing since neither of you watched the first half. Beside you, Jake turned to do the same. If either of you noticed how the space between you had become nonexistent, thighs and shoulders pressed together, no one said a word. You couldn’t complain, enjoying how Jake’s warmth seeped through his clothes and into your skin.

Without realizing it, the both of you fell asleep. The TV had gone dark after hours of inactivity, the moon lighting up the room with a dark hue. Jake awoke first, grumbling when his neck had a familiar ache in it. But when he went to roll his shoulder, something was in the way. Or rather, someone. He turned, pursing his lips to stay quiet as he realized you were leaning on him.

Your legs were draped over his own, something you must’ve done in your sleep. Or maybe it was him searching for a source of warmth in the coolness of the night. His arm was wrapped around your shoulder, your head fitting directly in the crook of his neck. He felt his skin burn as he swore quietly. Pulling out his phone, he glanced at the time.

3:02 a.m.

As slowly as he could, he hooked one arm under your knees and the other around your back. Standing, he hoped his racing heart wouldn’t wake you. Jake maneuvered the dark apartment as best he could without accidentally hitting your head against the walls of your hallway. Luckily, you left your bedroom door open, so he didn’t need to figure that out somehow. 

Lemon was already asleep, curled up on your left pillow. Carefully, he laid you down on the bed, pushing away stray hairs on your face afterward. He stayed there for a moment, staring at your peaceful expression. His heart warmed, a tingly feeling in his belly erupting at the sight of you. He tugged the blanket over your body, pressing a finger to his lips when Lemon startled awake.

Tucking you in, he hovered for a minute before pressing a soft kiss against your forehead. “Night, sweets,” he whispered before moving to his feet. Before he could get very far, a hand shot out from under the blanket and weakly grasped at his wrist. Turning, Jake held a breath at the sight of your sleepy eyes gazing up at him. “Only have one bed,” you slurred, sleep taking over your speech. “Sleep here.”

Jake balked at you, hands subconsciously balling at his sides. “Are you sure? I can sleep on the couch—”

“No! Sleep here.” You didn’t give him much room to argue as you scooted backwards to give him some room before lifting the blanket in invitation. This movement bugged Lemon, clearly, as she moved from your pillow to lay in the nook of your bent legs. “Come on, we’ve slept in the same bed before.”

Swallowing at the sight of you, eyes barely open and shirt riding up further than he could handle, Jake relented, knowing you would keep arguing with him until daylight. The last time we slept in the same bed, you were bawling your eyes out over Heeseung, he stopped himself from saying. The thought lingered as he crawled in next to you, keeping a respectful distance. 

Satisfied, you allowed your heavy lids to close, a small, contented smile painted on your lips. “G’night, Jake.”

He sighed. “Good night, sweets.”

You fell asleep instantly, hand resting on the pillow in front of your face. Jake mirrored your position, your pinkies centimetres from touching. He observed the slow rise and fall of your chest and the occasional sniffs when your hair would fall and tickle your nose. His eyes traced your every feature, from the curve of your cheek to your supple lips. 

Jake did not sleep well that night.

FOURTEEN DAYS.

Two days after Jake had made an appearance, he quickly fell into a routine with you. He would wake up first and have a cup of coffee ready for you whenever you’d sleepily bound into the kitchen. A bowl of cereal would already be sitting on the counter, the jug of milk sitting beside it. Your mornings were quiet as you both woke up, only a raspy “good morning” before you’d sit in silence over your bowls.

It had been a long time since you had such normalcy, and you’d be lying if you said you hated it.

“Hey,” he started, only half done chewing his cereal. “We have, like, two weeks left until we actually need to be in Seoul, right?”

You eyed him suspiciously for his cheery tone so early in the morning. Swallowing your food first, you nodded. “Yeah, but Chae wants us back at least two days before in case things need fixing or whatever.” Sipping your coffee, you raised a brow at him, “Why?”

Grinning at you, he leaned over to grab your arm in excitement. Your eyes darted to where you connected, noting how his thumb immediately started rubbing the inside of your wrist, making you cross your legs under the table. “Let’s make our trip back a road trip!���

You blinked. “Jake. You drove here—it was already going to be a road trip to go back.”

Jake threw his head back in a groan, inadvertently showing you his Adam’s apple as it bobbed up and down. You followed the movement down to his wide shoulders before looking away a second before he straightened up to meet eyes with you. “Dummy, I know that. Let’s make it a fun road trip with loads of stops and everything!” He talked animatedly, waving his hands with reckless abandon. “There are lots of small towns and pitstops on the way to Seoul, but we’ve never actually explored them.”

“How do you know I haven’t?”

Jake looked at you as if you had grown two heads. “If you have and I wasn’t invited, your best friend card is being revoked this instant. You hear me? Revoked.”

Laughing, you stood and grabbed both of your empty bowls. “Fine, we can have your fun road trip. You’re doing all the planning, though, since it was your idea.” You tilted his coffee mug toward you to see if he had finished it, placing it back where it was when you saw the brown liquid still swirling inside. He followed you to the sink, sleeves already rolled up when you placed the porcelain into the basin.

You didn’t say anything when he gently pulled you to the side and grabbed the sponge to start cleaning. “I already have the route!” He told you, not taking his eyes off the dishes. “It’s in my phone. You can look—it’s in the notes app.” Peaking at you through his lashes, he nodded his head in the general direction of where he left his phone. “Password’s still the same.”

You snorted, picking it up from the table before joining him at the sink, hopping up on the counter beside him. As you entered your birthyear into the phone, you didn’t catch the way he eyes your thighs, your shorts doing little to nothing to cover up the way they flattened slightly against the cool marble. “Y’know,” you started, ripping him out of his thoughts, ushering him to quickly place the bowls and spoons onto your drying rack. “This is a shitty password. You’re gonna get robbed one day.”

 He shrugged, pulling the hand towel off your oven’s handle to dry his hands. You watched him, silently ogling at the veins that popped out in his forearms when he turned to replace the towel. “Maybe, but it’s important to me.”

“My birth year?”

He grinned at you with a simple nod, standing between your thighs. His eyes fell to them once more when you absentmindedly spread your legs to give him room to stand. Biting the inside of his cheek, he shakily rested his palms on either side of you, moving slow enough for you to object if you were uncomfortable. "It's the year my favourite person was born, after all." You didn’t say anything, instead looking back at his phone screen.

He watched as your eyes flit back and forth as you read, his fingers itching to move closer to you, to touch your skin. He opted to curl his fingers until his nails dug into his palms. “When did you figure this out?” You asked, smiling at the title of the note.

Sweets and Jake’s Road Trip !!!

“Last night, while you slept.”

You shot him a look, searching for eye bags. You were relieved when you didn’t see any, but you punched his shoulder nonetheless. “Idiot. If you can’t sleep, you can wake me, you know? You don’t have to stay up by yourself.” You placed a hand on his forearm, rubbing your thumb over a jutting vein just as he had to you moments before.

His urge to touch you grew stronger, and he felt his mental fortitude crumbling at the contact. Clearing his throat, Jake shrugged. “You’re cute when you sleep, princess. Didn’t want to wake you.” Moving away before your scent could drive him any more insane, he rubbed the back of his neck. “So? What’s the verdict?”

Lips parted from his casual slip of a nickname you’d never heard from him before, you dumbly nodded. “Good. It’s good. Let’s do it.” You hopped down from the counter, Jake’s hands immediately moving to steady you once you got on your feet. “When do we leave?”

Jake grinned at you, revealing his canines. “Whenever you’re ready, sweets.”

You returned the smile, excitement starting to affect you. “Let’s get ready then, shall we?”

It didn’t take either of you very long to get your suitcases and essentials put together. Jake had mostly kept his things in his suitcase, only pulling out clothes he needed for the day or toiletries that you didn’t have any to spare. Two toothbrushes sat in a cup instead of the usual one, and the sight made you grin as you collected your things. Chaewon had your dress up in Seoul, so you didn’t need to worry about any of that either.

An hour after Jake proposed the road trip, he was waiting outside, one hand clasped over both of your luggage handles, the other holding Lemon’s carrier as you locked the door. The two of you walked out to his car in silence, the crisp morning air making you shiver under your thin jacket. “It’s still summer,” you complained in a long drawl, “why is it so fucking cold in the morning?”

Jake laughed at you, thanking you when you opened the back door of his car for him and carefully slid the luggage and carrier in. “Relax, princess, I’ll turn the heat on just for you, yeah?”

You grumbled at his teasing, taking your spot in the passenger seat without a word as he held the door open for you. You watched him jog around the car to reach his side, never taking your eyes off him as he fiddled with the A/C. As he turned the ignition on, he handed you his phone. “Put something on for me, will you?” 

As he drove, you noted the fact that he drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting casually on the middle console. His arms were exposed in the black tee he wore, seemingly not as affected by the cold as you were. You willed yourself not to notice how the shirt was unfairly form-fitting, wrapping around the bulk of his bicep in a way that was sending you spinning. 

The first stop was five minutes away from your apartment as Jake pulled into the parking lot of a nearby convenience store. Jake unrolled the windows a bit for Lemon, telling her to be good as the both of you exited the vehicle. Once inside, you shivered at how strong the store had its A/C running. 

Eyeing you, Jake sent you a smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll be quick.”

Without another word, you followed as Jake made his way through the different aisles, picking up snacks that you easily recognized as some of your favourites. Even grabbing a heat pack, he waved it at you teasingly. “Weirdo, needing a heat pack in the middle of August.”

You sputtered, “Wha— I never asked you to—”

Interrupting you with a bark of a laugh, he shook his head. “Just poking fun. C’mon, let’s go. Lemon’s probably waiting for us.” You huffed but didn’t argue as he pulled you to the front cashier by the hand. You trained your sight on your connected hands, moving them so your fingers interlaced. Jake briefly looked down at what you’d done, but if it bothered him, he didn’t say anything.

“Oh, it’s you!”

To both your surprise and Jake’s, the cashier’s eyes lit up when he saw you. “We had English together,” he filled in when you didn’t seem to recognize him. “We were in a group project together for the final?” You blinked a few times before making a noise of recognition.

“Riki! Sorry, I didn’t recognize you with the new hair,” you explained, glancing at his newly dark brown hair. “It was blond before. Looks good now, though!” You gave him a thumbs up. Before he could reply beside you, Jake cleared his throat. Both you and Riki looked at him, realizing that the latter hadn’t even started ringing your items through, and there was a bit of a line behind you.

Riki immediately started scanning the snacks Jake had brought, never taking his eyes off you. “What’re you up to this summer? I haven’t seen you at all since the semester ended.”

You hummed, “My cousin’s wedding is in two weeks, so Jake and I—” You nudged him, not noticing how quiet he had gotten. “—are driving back to Seoul right after this.”

The younger boy nodded, glancing over at Jake before looking down at your hands. You forgot they were still intertwined, but Jake's grip tightened when you went to let go. You dropped your head to hide how warm your cheeks felt, biting your lip lightly. “Ah,” Riki put down the scanning gun, his tone noticeably less happy. “₩9000, please.”

Jake threw a few crumpled notes on the counter before bowing his head slightly in goodbye, tugging you toward the exit wordlessly. You waved at Riki over your shoulder before walking quickly to fall in step with Jake. “You okay? You were quiet in there, and then you pulled us out like that.”

Jake only nodded, carelessly tossing the bag of snacks into the back with your luggage. “Here,” he tossed you the heat pack, already cracked and warming up. He opened your door again without further explanation before taking his own seat.

You stared at his profile in confusion, the heat pack already doing its job on your frigid hands. As he pulled back onto the road, you glanced at his hand, which rested over the middle console as it had before.

Curiously, you turned his wrist until his palm was facing upward. Jake watched you from the corner of his eye, only turning his head when he reached a red light. He hadn’t expected you to put your hand in his, interlocking your fingers once again. “Your hands are warmer,” you mumbled, leaning back to get comfortable. In shock, Jake hadn’t taken his eyes off of you.

Smiling tightly at him, you squeezed his hand. “The light’s green.”

Snapping his head forward, he coughed as he focused on the road. For the next while, your hand would stay in his. The ride to the next town was spent in silence, with you mouthing the lyrics to songs you recognized from his playlists. 

In Jake’s phone, he had written that you were to stay at motels in towns along the way. When you protested at the cost it would be, he simply argued with it’s for the experience, sweets. And no worries! I’m paying for the whole trip. And when you argued with that last bit, he only replied, if I see your wallet at all, I might have to fight you.

Your first real stop was in a small fishing village, the last coastal town you’d see before you started driving inland. The morning chill was gone, replaced with the comforting warmth of the summer sun. Despite that, you didn’t let go of Jake’s hand until you had to get out of the car. Stretching your limbs, you groaned when you felt and heard some joints pop. 

You inhaled deeply, closing your eyes as you took in the smell of the ocean and the distant chatter of nearby townspeople. The motel Jake brought you to was a little rundown; it was obvious that it had been around for quite some time. The paint was peeling a bit, and the shingles on the roof made it look dated, but it had a cozy feel to it. Besides, it was the only dog-friendly motel in the area, so you couldn’t afford to be choosy.

“Hello,” the old woman at the receptionist's desk greeted you kindly, eyes shifting from you to Jake. You smiled at her, bowing your head in respect. Besides you, Jake did the same with that easygoing grin of his. “How may I help you?”

“A room for two, please,” said Jake.

The woman nodded, looking over at the remaining room keys. Grabbing one, she handed it over to you before telling Jake how much it’d cost. As Jake fumbled with his wallet, the old woman looked at you fondly. “You two are precious,” she informed you with an air of nostalgia, her wrinkled hand resting atop her chest over her heart. “I remember when me and my late husband were your age.”

You blushed at her insinuation that you and Jake were together but found that the idea wasn’t as jarring as you thought it’d be. You couldn’t tell if Jake didn’t catch the comment or chose not to reply as he handed her the money she needed. 

It wasn’t hard to find your room out of the ten total, and you were pleased to see that the coziness of the outside continued inside. Jake wheeled your luggage in while you opened Lemon’s carrier, letting her roam free in the room, sniffing the foreign air. The room itself wasn’t too big, consisting of the main room that could only fit a single queen bed and not much else and a bathroom that was longer than it was wide. 

“It’s like we’re teens again,” you giggled at Jake, shrugging off your jacket. “We’re sharing beds often.”

Jake let out a breath at the realization that there really was only one bed again and nodded stiffly. He supposed that was his fault for not mentioning how many beds you needed. “I guess so,” he gazed at you tenderly. “You sure you don’t mind?”

You rolled your eyes at him, “You can cut the gentleman act with me, Jake. If I minded, I would’ve said something already. We shared a bed in my apartment, remember?”

Of course I remember, he thought, it was driving me crazy.

In truth, Jake hasn’t been able to sleep because of how cuddly you were in your sleep. He’d purposely lay as far as he could from you so as not to give in to any temptations, but it seemed like you had other plans whenever you laid your head to rest. Not two minutes after he’d heard your soft snores, your hands were reaching for him, pulling you closer to his torso until you were snuggled up against him. 

He may have only been staying with you for two days, but he’s had to take just as many cold showers before you woke up.

“Do you wanna go on a walk?” you asked once the two of you settled. Lemon sat by your feet, circling them by looping under the chair you sat on to entertain herself. “It’d be nice to venture out! I think poor Lemon’s a bit restless from the carrier.” You bent over to rub behind her ears, to which she let out a yip of approval.

Jake smiled softly at the sight before nodding. “Let’s go, then.”

Thankfully, Lemon was an off-leash dog and stayed close by as you walked the streets of an unfamiliar town. In the distance, seagulls cried out to each other as fishing boats pushed off from the harbour. The sound of the sea lulled you into a peaceful reverie. You and Jake walked side by side, fingers brushing against each other every so often.

“It’s nice here,��� you mumbled, “we should have done this sooner.”

Jake hummed, the low noise rattling in your ears. You closed your eyes as you walked, fully trusting Jake to guide you if you were going to walk into anything. He smiled softly at the sight of your relaxed demeanour, moving to hold your hand. You walked in silence for a bit before you reached the shore. Jake spotted some beach chairs, pulling you along. Lemon bounded ahead, happy to have room to run. You cracked open your eyes in time to see her jump into the water, barking happily as she entertained herself.

“Next time, you should bring Layla,” you suggested as you sat down. 

Jake smiled down at your hands. “Yeah, next time.”

Silence fell upon you, but it wasn’t unwelcome. You both watched Lemon as she played in the water, occasionally coming up to bring you a rock she had found before hopping back into the puddles the tide was creating. All the while, your hands stayed clasped, with Jakes's thumb rubbing familiar circles on the back of your palm.

“Why did you move so far?”

You halted, your smile slipping. “You asked me already.”

“But you weren’t being completely truthful with me.” He looked at you, concern shining in his eyes. “You’re not over it, are you?”

The topic dampened your mood, your heart rate rising as you avoided eye contact. “I told you already, Jake. I don’t love Heeseung anymore. I’m fine,” you pressed, lying through your teeth. Lying to Jake always left a bitter taste in your mouth, as you knew he could tell immediately that it wasn’t the truth. “What kind of cousin would I be if I were still in love with her groom-to-be?”

Jake’s frown deepened. “You have the right to be hurt—”

“But I’m not! So drop it.” Your outburst garnered the attention of a few townspeople who were out and about, causing you to flush in embarrassment. Lowering your voice, you stared down at the rocky beach, digging your dirtied trainers into the course sand. “I’m fine.”

Unbelieving, Jake continued, “It’s just… I thought you had enough reason to stay.”

His words made you look up, annoyed at how much he was pressing the topic on you. “Clearly, I didn’t.” Shaking your head, you dropped his hand before standing to your feet and dusting off imaginary dirt from your pants. You looked down at him, a mistake as you were forced to look at his hurt expression, lip trembling as he stared up at you open-mouthed. “I’m going back.”

He only watched your back as you walked away, beckoning Lemon to follow. The poor puppy got out of the water, shaking off the excess. She ran toward you but paused and looked back at Jake. She tilted her head as if she were asking Aren’t you coming? before running after you.

He didn’t know how long he sat there, shellshocked, until he realized that the sun was starting to set. Deciding he had been out there long enough, Jake slowly made his way back to the motel. When he got to your room, he hesitated, knowing that you could easily lock him out for the night if you were still upset with him since you had the only key.

Jake stood there, mulling over whether or not he should try knocking, but before he could even decide, the door opened. He was met with you, tear-stained cheeks and bloodshot eyes. “Don’t just stand there,” you opened the door more for him to come in. His heart broke at the sight of you and at how wet your voice sounded, as if you had just finished crying.

“Sweets, I’m sorry—” 

You shook your head, holding up a hand to stop him. “No, you did… you did nothing wrong. I shouldn’t have exploded at you like that or left you alone out there.” You looked down in shame, gnawing at your bottom lip. “I’m sorry, Jake.”

He was quick to lift your chin with two fingers, keeping them there as he rested his other hand on your upper arm. “Hey, no, none of that. I shouldn’t have pushed you when you obviously didn’t want to talk about it.” He pushed your hair behind your ear before bringing you in for a hug. You wrapped your arms around him, burying your head in his shoulder. He kissed the top of your head before muttering in your ear, “I’m sorry, sweets. I promise I won’t ask about it until you tell me you’re ready.”

You let go of the hug, but Jake kept you close in his arms. Looking into his eyes with welled-up tears, you pouted slightly, bringing his gaze downward. “You’re sure you’re not upset with me?”

“With you, never, sweets.”

You opened your mouth but closed it before you could say anything. Hugging him again, your voice came out muffled. “Wanna sleep.”

Jake chuckled at you, dropping his head in disbelief. “Okay.”

Not long after, you were both situated in bed, with Lemon lying at your feet like usual. As he had for nights before, Jake kept his distance, but you quickly changed that. For the first time, you cuddled up to him while you were awake, fully aware of your actions. Jake’s breath halted as he felt you nuzzle your face into the soft fabric of his tee, which smelt so strongly of him that it was all you could smell. “I love you,” you whispered into his skin, sending his brain into a frenzy. “You’re the bestest friend I could’ve ever asked for.”

Jake could practically hear the record screech in his head, gritting his teeth a bit before relaxing his jaw to leave another soft kiss against your temple. “I love you too, sweets.”

The day had exhausted him more than he’d realized. For the first time in two days, Jake found himself falling asleep right after you, holding you tightly against his chest.

You awoke to the feeling of something warm attached to your neck. A quiet moan escaped your lips when the something bit down. You felt large hands explore the expanse of your side, your sleeping shirt pushed far up. Something hard poked against your thigh as you angled your head upward.

Your eyes fluttered open as you realized it was Jake, groaning as he nipped at your skin, leaving behind blossoms of red and purple. You moved your hips closer to his, gasping when his growing hard-on made contact with your clothed sex. “Fuck, baby, you don’t know what you do to me,” he uttered, his deep voice going straight to your groin. Your panties, you were sure, were already soaked with your slick.

“Please,” you whined as he bit down harder, and his hand roamed higher, tracing the curve of the underside of your breast with his fingers. His mouth felt oh-so-hot on your skin, and his teasing touch did little to alleviate it. “Show me, Jake. Show me what I do to you.”

He pulled back, ignoring the noise of disappointment you made. His eyes looked impossibly dark as he hovered over you, chest heaving. “Be careful what you wish for, pretty girl.” He easily flipped you onto your back, slotting himself between your legs. You moaned loudly when he ground his hips against yours, allowing you to feel just how hard he’d gotten. 

His lips met yours in a hungry kiss, tongue forcing itself past your lips to lick into your mouth. His hands moved wildly, pushing your shirt up until your breasts were fully uncovered, nipples pebbling in exposure to the cold air. “So beautiful,” he groaned into your ear as one hand kneaded your left breast. “Fuck, gonna make you mine, yeah? You want that?”

“Yes!” You exclaimed pathetically, a sob of need ripping through your throat as his free hand made its way to your shorts. “Please, Jake, need you so badly.”

He groaned again, pushing past the elastic waistband and guiding his fingers into your soaked panties. He moved down to collect your wetness and…

You breathed in harshly when you woke up, your heart racing faster than it ever had before. You blinked a few times to adjust to the darkness of the room, remembering where you were. Your chest heaved as you tried to calm yourself down, your face burning. Oh my god, you thought in slight mortification.

Jake’s arm rested over your middle, you realized, as he spooned you from behind. Your startle hadn’t woken him, his soft snores sounding in your ear canals. You were relieved that he wasn’t awake to ask why you woke up so violently because how were you to explain that it was because you were having a wet dream about him?

The dull feeling of disappointment had settled into your gut from having been interrupted before the dream could get good, a feeling that came with shame at how indisputable your horniness was. You’d never dreamed of Jake in such a light, but now you were worried that you wouldn’t be able to rid yourself of the sight of his eyebrows scrunching together in pleasure as he ground against you—

No. You need to stop.

Turning your head to groan into the pillow, you became hyper-aware of how wet you were, your panties sticking uncomfortably to your pussy. You pressed your legs together, silently willing the pulsing of your clit to calm down and let you fall asleep again. If you fall asleep, you might forget about this in the morning.

“Stop moving,” Jake’s tired voice scared you, making you jump. He used his arm to pull you closer against him, your hand against your mouth to stop yourself from making any noise. Not long after, you heard his deep breaths again, signalling that he’d fallen asleep. 

Fuck, you were screwed. You closed your eyes tightly, but all you could think about was how firm and warm he felt. Pressed against him like this, you could almost feel everything. From his tone chest and legs to his soft length, pressing against your backside. His gray sweats and your flimsy shorts barely acted as a barrier between you. Stretching your legs out, you realize that Lemon had hopped off the bed at some point, likely to sleep in her carrier.

Without thinking, your shaky hand made its way down your front, actively avoiding his arm. You bit your lip harshly as you slipped a finger underneath your shorts, listening carefully to ensure he wasn’t awake. This is crazy, you have never thought of doing something so indecent in front of Jake, but the idea was sending you into a frenzy. 

You fingertip made contact with your slit, and you had to stop yourself from moaning aloud at just how wet you were. Slowly, you rubbed circles around your clit, jolting slightly at the initial contact. Maybe it was from the dream or the fact that Jake was right there, but you felt more sensitive than usual, holding in whimpers with every movement.

“F-fuck,” you accidentally let out, screwing your eyes shut as you moved your hand faster. In the quiet stillness of the night, you could hear your slick with every flick of your wrist. If Jake woke up, there’d be no question to what you were doing, but the thought only spurred you on more.

Using your other hand to grope yourself over your shirt, you teased your entrance, easily inserting a finger. It wasn’t enough, your finger failing to fill you up how you know Jake’s would, a thought that forced out a rather loud moan.

Realizing how loud you were, you paused and listened to his breathing. Before you could even register that his breaths weren’t as deep as they were before, his arm tightened around you.

“Naughty fucking girl,” he hissed into your ear, pulling your hand out of your panties. You didn’t have time to feel humiliated before he rolled you onto your back, his thighs pressing into your waist as he sat on top of you. The look he gave you was just like the one he had in your dream, eyes dark and pupils full-blown, eyebrows furrowed together in desperate need.

“Touching yourself like that while my arm’s around you,” he spat, leaning until he was mere inches away from your face. “Thinking I wouldn’t wake up. Needed me that badly, yeah?”

It was clear that you were shocked, wide-eyed and jaw agape. Not once in your lifetime of friendship with Jake had you seen this feral side to him. You felt his hardening length when he pressed his hips down and groaned. “Come on, sweets. I know you’re smarter than that. You can answer me with words like a big girl.”

You smacked your lips together in disbelief before nodding slowly. “Yeah,” you stuttered. “Need you so bad, Jake.” Your own words surprised you, his boldness rubbing off on you. “Dreamt of you,” you confessed.

Jake raised a brow at you, laying his hand flat on your side. “Yeah? Was I touching you,” he used his hand to push up your shirt, moving faster than his dream counterpart had and groping at your breast, flicking his thumb over the hardening bud. “Like this?”

Nodding fervently, you bit your lip to hold in your moans as he handled you. He clicked his tongue using his other hand to pull at your bottom lip until it was released from your teeth. “Wanna hear you, princess. You had no problem moaning while I was asleep. Unfair to hide them in front of me now, isn’t it?”

He bent down to take your other nipple in his hot mouth, his searing tongue darting out to circle the sensitive bud. His eyes never left yours, watching your expressions as you arched your back to his ministrations. He let go of your nipple, only to blow cold air on it, making you whimper. “What else did I do, pretty?” He asked, pinching and rolling your nipple between his fingers. “Did I make you feel good?”

“Fuck,” you cried when he thrust his hips against you, giving you a hint as to what was to come. “Made me feel so good, Jake.” You threw your head back as he continued, shallowly thrusting against your clothed core. You weakly pointed at your neck. “Kissed me here,” you sighed when he leaned forward to leave kitten licks against your neck, nipping gently at the skin. “And…”

He bit down on the skin under your ear, using his tongue to soothe the mark before kissing up to your earlobe. “And?” His deep voice resonated within you, making you shiver.

“And then you…” You trailed off, instead opting to run a hand down your front to the waistband of your shorts, not missing the way his eyes followed. “Touched me here.” Tapping over your clothed clit, you avoided his gaze out of shyness, still in disbelief of this situation. “Then I woke up.” Your voice was weak, doused in lust and need for the man in front of you.

He smirked at you, moving back so he could pull your shorts off, leaving you in your oversized tee—an old shirt of his he’d given you before you moved—and your soaked baby blue panties. Even in the dark, he could see how wet you were, the thought making him groan as he palmed himself over his sweats at the sight of you. 

“Poor baby,” he sighed, though you heard no actual sympathy in his tone. “Couldn’t get off in your dream, so you touched yourself like a whore in front of me.” You squirmed at his vulgarity, his words sending shockwaves to your clenching pussy. Shifting his body down the bed so he was laying between your thighs, he left kisses up and down the sensitive skin there. His tongue traced a line from your knee up to where you truly wanted him before stopping right before your panties. His mouth wrapped around your skin as he bit down, hard enough to sting but not hard enough to really hurt.

When he pulled away, a dark hickey had formed. “Shit,” he groaned, “God, I love marking you up.” He looked back up at you, resting on your elbows so you could watch him. “Gonna leave marks all over, yeah? Then you’ll know who made you feel good, pretty girl.”

Mindlessly, you nodded, wanting him to do anything he wanted with you. His every word made you feel impossibly wet, almost embarrassingly so.

Without missing a beat, he kissed your clit over your panties, making you whimper as you thrust your hips up toward his face. “Patience, baby,” he mumbled, tonguing you through the thin fabric of your underwear. “Gonna make you feel good.” Using his teeth, he pulled your panties down, your slick stringing along as he got them to your knees before using his hands to pull them off completely. 

The sight of your exposed cunt, wet and clenching around nothing, made Jake crazy. “I’ve wanted this for so long,” he admitted with a groan before he dove into your pussy, licking up your slick. He drew figure-eights over your clit before closing his lips around it and sucking, making you cry out. You felt his long fingers poke at your entrance, the stimulation leaving you a mess of moans and whimpers.

When two of his fingers pushed past your entrance, you both groaned at the feeling of him sliding inside your gummy walls. His tongue worked at your clit as he slowly scissored his fingers inside you, all while watching your reactions. “So hot,” you gasped, clawing at the bed sheets. “Fuck, Jake, gonna…” You cut yourself off, moaning loudly, when he started moving his fingers faster.

“Cum for me, sweets.” His demand seemingly made you snap as you came around his fingers in an instant. He closed his eyes as his jaw dropped in a groan, relishing the feeling of you clenching tightly around his fingers. He slowly took them out, biting his lip at how wet you were. The whine you let out once you were empty would live in his mind for the rest of his days, he decided, as he moved up the bed to come eye to eye with you.

You watched as he sucked his fingers clean of your wetness before leaning in and kissing you harshly. The taste of him mixed with your juices made you moan, grabbing at the fabric of his shirt tightly. He bit your bottom lip, pulling at it slightly before kissing you deeply once more. Your lips slotted together with ease, like two puzzle pieces.

He felt your hand travel down his stomach to the strings of his sweatpants, leaning back to watch as you undid the knot before pulling them down in a swift motion. He sat up to kick the garment off, before returning to his spot between your thighs. You couldn’t take your eyes off of him, hunger in your gaze as you inspected his cock, hard against his stomach. It was red, needy and weeping, one pronounced vein running along his shaft. More importantly, he was thick—thicker than any toys you had bought on a whim.

When you looked up at him, he must’ve caught your fear as he cupped your face in his warm palm. Kissing you gently, he brushed your hair back. “We don’t need to go any further if you don’t want us to,” he assured you, even though the hardness of his length said otherwise. “We’ll only go as far as you want to.”

You bit your lip, “Then…” Without another word, you closed a fist around his shaft, watching his eyes widen. “I want to make you feel good, too,” you whispered. You collected some of his precum, using it to glide your hand up and down at a torturous pace, your eyes never leaving his face.

“Fuck, baby,” he groaned, shoving his face in the crook of your neck. You felt his hot breaths fan over your skin, leaving goosebumps, and he moaned in your ear. His arms were braced on either side of your head, his scent invading your senses as you touched him. “Doing so well for me,” he hushed, kissing at your neck. He nudged your jawline with his nose, sucking down on your jugular. “Shit,” his hips stuttered, thrusting up into your grasp. “Go faster for me, yeah?”

You nodded, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as you picked up speed. Using your other hand to grasp his balls, you delighted in the way he groaned a little louder, your name slipping from his lips wantonly. Leaning forward, you bit down on his shoulder, flicking your tongue out just as he had before. With your lips on him, he moaned your name once more, fucking up into your hand with reckless abandon. He swore lowly as his hips stilled, ropes of thick cum spilling from his cock and onto your hands and shirt.

He stayed there momentarily, catching his breath before hovering a bit higher to watch you. Inspecting your hand, you brought it to your lips. His eyes never left your tongue as he watched it dart out to catch any drops of his seed. “You don’t know what you’re doing to me,” he sighed once you finished, wiping off any remains on your soiled tee. He pulled the tee over your head before giving you his own, still warm from being worn. 

“Go to sleep, sweets,” he mumbled against your temple as he settled in next to you. “We’ll talk in the morning, yeah?”

Your morning talk ended up with his tongue between your thighs in the shower as you struggled to keep yourself up, one leg over his shoulder. You were sure the people in the rooms next to you could hear your cries when you came on his tongue for the nth time, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to care. 

Once he thought you had cum an adequate amount of times, he carefully set you down, massaging your aching thighs as he kissed you gently. Pulling away, he leaned his forehead against yours, eyes still closed. Taking the opportunity, you pecked his lips before reaching for the body wash, giggling.

You never ended up talking about it, getting distracted by Lemon, who whined at the door when you finally came out of the bathroom. 

The rest of the road trip went similarly. You’d hold hands as he drove to your next destination, and then you’d get each other off in your motel rooms until the motel owners eventually kicked you out for disturbances. Between towns, you’d talk as if he wasn’t just knuckles deep in your heat or as if you didn’t just have his cock shoved down your throat as he fucked your face.

Words that needed to be spoken never were. Your fearful thoughts kept you from initiating the conversation that could very well destroy years of friendship with Jake.

ONE DAY.

Finally, you had made it to Seoul. Unfortunately, a flat tire in the middle of nowhere stopped you from getting there two days before, as Chaewon wanted. Luckily, nothing did go wrong and everything seemed to be ready for tomorrow.

Tired from the long trip, both emotionally and physically, Jake offered his house for you to stay at. Without thinking, you said yes. You took his keys and unlocked the door as Jake grabbed your things from the car, Lemon pushing past your feet and into the house, eager to explore.

As she made her way around, her nails against the hardwood floor indicating where she was, you and Jake pushed your luggage into the living room before collapsing onto the couch.

“I’m so happy to be home,” he sighed, stretching his limbs. “As fun as road trips are, nothing beats sleeping in your own bed.” Glancing over at you, a million thoughts raced in his mind, but he pushed them away. He wanted to talk about what you were, the frequent hookups making his brain mush. But he could read you—he always could. You’ve always been so emotive that you made it easy, but he had your habits memorized. He knew exactly when you didn’t want to do something and that you weren’t ready for talking.

So he didn’t say anything, even though he knew it might hurt him in the long run.

Unlike your apartment or the many motels you stayed at over your trip, Jake actually had two beds. The thought of sleeping in separate rooms felt so foreign, but he told you anyway. You hummed, “Maybe I should sleep in the guest room then.” You grinned at him, “You’re probably tired of having to share a bed with me by now.”

Never, he thought.

That night, he lay in his too-empty bed, restless. Knowing you were in the same house, with only a thin wall separating you, was driving him mad. Not having you next to him, curled up against his side, drove him mad. His hand clenched around the bedsheets, where you would’ve been if you had taken up his silent plea to sleep in the same room as him.

In that moment, Jake realizes just how screwed he really is. Covering his eyes with his forearm, he quietly swore into the empty room, his heart aching. Jake had gotten so used to being so close to you, to have you by his side as he pleasured you, your high-pitched cries echoing in his ears. He knew it wouldn’t last forever and that he’d have to drive you home a few days after the wedding. Then, he didn’t know how long it’d be until he saw you again.

He wonders if everything that happened will get brushed under the rug. God, he hoped not. 

Just as he decided he’d need some sleep for the wedding tomorrow, he heard something through the wall. He held his breath, straining his ears to hear the noise's source. Before long, he realized it was you, your short breaths easily passing through the wall, the sound of your slick ringing clear as day to him.

Without another thought, he ripped off his blanket and made his way to the guest room. To his surprise, you hadn’t even closed your door, his eyes blessed with the sight of you atop the bed. Neither the blankets nor the sheets were disturbed, making it clear that you hadn’t even gotten comfortable before you started. He watched in a daze as your fingers plunged in and out of your hole, your face contorted into one of drunken pleasure.

He felt himself grow hard as he stepped closer. You whimpered out his name as you rubbed harsh circles over your clit, and something inside Jake snapped.

“You must love fucking torturing me,” he rasped, roughly pulling your fingers out of your pussy and pinning your hands to the bed, leaving your body fully exposed to him. “Always touching yourself in front of me like a slut. You knew what you were doing, leaving your door open.” When you turned your head away in feigned humiliation, he used his free hand to forcibly turn your cheek. His nails dug into your jaw as he forced you to look at him.

“Do you know how crazy you make me feel?” He asked, but he narrowed his eyes at you when you went to answer. “Do you know how fucking long I’ve wanted to see you like this? Needy and begging for my cock?” His words shut up, the implication of something more making your heart race.

“Do you know how hard it’s been for me to stop myself from making you mine every night we’re together?” He growled, letting go of your hands to push your legs up against your chest. “Do you know how hard it is to refrain from kissing you every time you look at me with that look in your eye?”

Wrapping your arms around his neck, you pulled him in for a kiss, your lips meeting in a fight for dominance. His hands pushed you deeper against the bed as he pressed himself against you. His patience was wearing thin as he pulled away, only to pull off his shirt before he leaned in again. Your lips, your taste—all of you was addicting to Jake.

“Jake,” you moaned out when he attacked your neck, adding to the healing bruises from before. “‘M ready now. Please, please, make me yours,” you begged, spreading your legs wider for emphasis.

If he wasn’t hard before, he was now at your plea, a growl stuck at the back of his throat at the thought of fucking you like how he’s wanted to. “You sure, princess?” he asked, leaning back to look you in the eye.

“I’ve never been more sure,” you gasped, eyes darting from his left to right. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting.”

Jake only shook his head, pulling you in for another deep kiss. Jake swallowed your moans, a feeling of possessiveness taking over him as he fondled your breasts. “All mine,” he hissed, “you’re mine.”

He made quick work of his sleep shorts, the garment getting thrown across the room into some corner to be found in the morning. His cock was pretty as ever, and your hands instinctively went to grab at it. “Next time, baby,” he rasped, “Need to take you now.”

You cried out when you felt the tip of his length nudge against your folds, collecting your juices as he ran his cock up and down your cunt. A broken whimper of his name ripped through your throat when he bumped your clit, his own deep moan shaking in his chest. He felt like he was losing his mind, the warmth of your pussy felt so good against his shaft, and he hadn’t even entered you yet.

You felt him line himself up at your entrance, and you tensed. Noticing, Jake left gentle kisses against your shoulder. “I’ll take care of you, pretty, just lay back, yeah?”

You nodded but felt hot tears well up in your eyes as he pushed past your entrance, a stinging burn erupting between your legs. He moved slowly, but inch by inch, the burn became more intense. “It’ll hurt more when you’re this tense, baby,” he whispered, massaging your right breast in hopes of distracting you. His lips met yours in a kiss more gentle than any that preceded it. Screwing your eyes shut, tears beaded at the corners of your eyes before they fell, disappearing into your hairline. He kissed your temple when he finally bottomed out after what felt like years. “Doing so well for me, sweets.”

He stilled for a few minutes despite wanting nothing more but to drill into you. Leaving kisses all over your face and neck, he observed as your face relaxed more and more. “You can move now,” you whispered, out of breath.

“Yeah? Trust me?”

“Mhm,” you closed your eyes—the sting had disappeared, and now you just felt stuffed. “I trust you, Jake.”

Your admittance made his head spin as he dropped his head onto your shoulder. Slowly, he pulled out until just the tip was inside before thrusting into you. A low moan rumbled in your chest as Jake sucked at your neck. He repeated the motion, rocking into you slowly until you got used to it.

After a while, the pain turned to pleasure as you clenched around him, making him gasp against your skin. “Faster, please,” you begged, linking your ankles around his back. “Need you.”

Just as you asked, Jake upped his pace, moving steadily. He sat back gripping your waist as he thrust into you. He watched for your reactions, eyes darting from your scrunched up face to the bouncing of your breasts down to the jiggle of your thighs with each thrust. His speed picked up until he was pistoling into you, broken moans pushing past your lips as his hips slapped against yours.

The sound of your wetness was so obscene, if you were in a normal state of mind you would’ve been embarrassed. But the drag of his cock against your walls and the way his pelvic bone grazed your clit every time he bottomed out was deliciously addicting.  “Feels so fucking good,” Jake moaned, “you’re gripping me so tightly—fuck!—gonna make me cum, princess.” Falling forward, he braced himself on one arm, reaching for your puffy clit with the other. He rubbed fast cirlces on your clit as he pounded into you, the sound of skin against skin turning you on more. You willed yourself to keep your eyes open, to bask in the sight of Jake slowly losing control of his movements as he got closer to his own release.

The sight of him hunched over you, eyes glassy as he furrowed his brows in concentration, beads of sweat dripping from his hairline, causing his blond hair to stick to his forehead, was so fucking hot. You gripped at his arms, muscles bulging as he struggled to keep himself up.

You felt an orgasm fast approaching, your own whines coming out higher and higher. “Fu—ck, Jake,” you swore, “I’m so close, please, I—”

At your words, Jake’s hips moved faster, hitting the spot that made you see stars over and over again. “You look so beautiful like this,” he uttered breathlessly. “Fuck, I love you.” The words spilled from his lips unintentionally, the way your walls clenched around him knocked any sense of thought out of him, his only coherent thought being to make you cream around his cock.

His words echoed in your brain as you came with a cry of his name. The feeling of you cumming sent Jake into overdrive as he pistoned into you, overstimulating you as he chased his release. After a moment, he stilled, coming inside of your cavern. You felt his release paint your walls white, bringing you into a second orgasm.

He stayed inside you for a while, hovering over your tired body as he caught his breath. Eventually, he pulled out, his cum spilling from your clenching hole, making him sigh in pleasure at the sight. He kissed your temple before moving to get off the bed. You watched, spent, as he searched for his shirt in the dark, the hallway light dimly illuminating the room. For a second, you were scared that he was just going to go back to his own room, but after he found the shirt, he came back to your side. Wordlessly, he wiped you clean, even wiping at the beads of sweat that accumulated on your skin.

Tired, he let himself collapse beside you, pulling you against his chest.

“Did you mean it?” you asked in a small voice.

“Hmm?”

“When… When you said you loved me.”

You felt him tense under you for a second before relaxing. His arms held you tighter against his chest, letting you listen to his rapid heartbeat.

“Yeah.” He paused, the cogs in his brain turning as he searched for the right words to say. Nothing he came up with seemed right; he opted to stay silent and waited for your response. When it didn’t come, he looked down at you, only to be met with your sleeping face. He sighed, his breath shaky as his eyes burned. He pressed a single kiss on the crown of your head. “Good night, sweets.”

THREE HOURS.

Chaewon had been spamming your phone, the distinct buzzing of each message waking you up. Jake slept through the sound of you typing, exhausted from the night before.

Where are you???? Get your ass here NOW before I come and get you myself

Are you even awake? 

Girl, if you’re not here in the next hour I’ll punt you into the next century

Swearing, you carefully slipped out of Jake’s grasp. When he didn’t stir, you shook him gently. He mumbled incoherently, wrapping his arms around your middle as he deeply inhaled your scent. “Jake, we gotta’ wake up now. Chaewon’s having a cow and I don’t think we want to upset the bride today.”

At your words, Jake murmured something you couldn’t hear before finally peeling himself off you, looking at you with sleepy eyes and messy hair. “Wha’ time isit?” he slurred, stretching his arm.

“It’s twelve, so we have to go. Like, now.”

Thankfully, that seemed to wake Jake up, and he sat up quickly. “Damn, okay,” he pushed his hair back. “Get changed and everything, and I’ll meet you at the door.”

You watched as he leaped off the bed, picking up his soiled clothes from the floor. He made his way to his own room, and you heard the shower turn on. In the time it took for you to brush your teeth and get changed, Jake had showered and hastily shoved on some comfy clothes, his attire being left with Heeseung as well.

The drive to the hotel where the bridal and groom's parties were getting ready was quiet, partially from sleepiness and partially because of the unfinished conversation from last night, filling the air with thick tension. His hand rested on the middle console, palm up, but you didn’t take it.

When you got to the hotel, you were quickly ushered to your respective rooms by other bridesmaids and groomsmen. Jake could only watch as you disappeared behind a room door before getting shoved into one himself.

He didn’t see you again until later, when the wedding was about to start, and the pairs were meant to walk down the aisle. Since you were Chaewon’s maid of honour and Jake was Heeseung’s best man, you were paired together. When you finally saw him, you felt the air leave your lungs. His hair was styled so it was out of his face, save for a few strands that hooked over his forehead. His suit was entirely dark blue, from his blazer to his tie, and it made him look unfairly handsome.

Your mouth felt dry as you linked arms with him, listening for your cue to walk.

Unbeknownst to you, he felt similar. You looked stunning in your baby blue satin dress, and he thought it hugged your curves in such a way that he almost wanted to cover you up so only he could see you like this. His heart pounded in his chest at your touch. 

“You look beautiful,” he whispered as you waited, making the couples behind you snicker. You blushed, your face warming as you rubbed your lips together anxiously.

“As do you,” you mumbled, looking into his eyes shyly. “You look really good.”

He opened his mouth to say something else, but the doors opened up, and that was your cue. The venue was gorgeous, as expected since Chaewon planned most of it. The sight of the aisle and the altar made your heart soar for her, and you absentmindedly rubbed at your own ring finger the closer you and Jake got to the end of the aisle.

You sent him a smile before you retreated to your respective spots. As the rest of the couples and the flower girl made their way down the aisle, you couldn’t help but keep your eyes on Jake. You wondered how you looked, staring over at the best man when there were so many things you should’ve been paying attention to.

Clearing your throat, you looked forward.

When you finally saw Heeseung, your heart clenched. You fisted the fabric of your dress as you watched him wait for his bride-to-be. This motion didn’t go unseen by Jake, whose jaw clenched.

When Chaewon appeared from behind the door, the room erupted into cheers as everyone stood. Tears sprang to your eyes as you watched your cousin, veiled, take small steps closer to her future husband. You knew your makeup was going to be ruined by the end of the night, but you couldn’t help but cry once she reached Heeseung. You glanced at him once more before staring down at your heeled feet.

The rest of the ceremony went off without a hitch, Chaewon and Heeseung’s beautiful vows leaving everyone in tears. You had even caught Jake wiping away some stray tears. You watched with a sense of longing as Chaewon and Heeseung made their way down the aisle. You didn’t realize that Jake had been staring at you the whole time, not even when it was your turn to walk out.

The banquet was to start half an hour later. You and Jake had gotten separated in the commotion outside of the venue hall. You heard him call out to you, but you couldn’t see him over the large, bustling crowd of wedding guests. Knowing that you’d see him at the banquet, you slipped further into the crowd until you found a balcony. Peaking your head out, you let out a breath of relief when there was no one there.

The sun was setting, casting an orange hue over everything it touched. A beautiful sight, you thought as you leaned against the railing. You closed your eyes as you thought back on the wedding. It had been the exact wedding the Chaewon had planned years ago, but you couldn’t find it within yourself to be truly happy. How could you, after all, after watching Heeseung look at Chaewon with such love and adoration? 

When someone called your name, you turned around to see Jake standing there, slightly unkempt from the crowd. “I finally found you,” he heaved, gesturing back to the hall that was still full of busy wedding goers. “Man, the banquet is literally in the room over from the wedding hall—they couldn’t be a little more patient in moving over?” He shook his head in mock disbelief as he joined you.

He looked at you, ready to make a joke, but paused when he saw your face. His smile dropped as he turned to face you fully. “You’re crying,” he noted, cupping your cheek. You blinked in surprise, having not noticed how tears had welled up in your eyes. “What’s wrong, sweets?”

You turned around, pulling your face out of his grasp, wrapping your arms around yourself. “I don’t know,” you murmured, voice breaking. “I just… when I saw them—”

“Is it Heeseung?”

His cold, clipped tone shocked you. When you looked at him in confusion, his expression had hardened. “What—”

“Why does seeing him with her still hurt you? I thought you were fine,” his words were level, but you heard the slight tremble of his voice.”You said you moved on.” 

Sputtering, you turned to him with an indignant glare. “Jake, it’s not that easy—”

Scoffing, he took a step back from you. “So what? The last two weeks meant nothing to you? Last night meant nothing to you? I…” He gripped at his hair, stressed. “I told you I loved you, and you’re still crying over Heeseung?”

It dawned on you how he perceived your words, and an unsettling fear grabbed at you as you went to explain yourself. “What? Jake, no, I’m not—”

He gave you no room to speak, interrupting you hastily, words tumbling from his lips as though he had no control of them. “I have always loved you,” he confessed, voice breaking. “Ever since we were kids, for me, it’s always been you. I came to you because I love you. I spent these last two weeks with you because I love you, and I want nothing more than for you to see me as more than a best friend or… or someone who’s convenient for you.” You watched in horror as his eyes watered, stepping forward to grab his arm to explain, but he ripped his arm away from your grasp. “I can see now that you never will.”

“Jake, wait—!” Your cry fell on empty ears as he turned to leave you alone on the balcony, his back feeling unreachable as he reached for the doorknob to go back inside. At this point, the crowd in the hall had dispersed, and you were sure the banquet was starting. But none of that mattered—what mattered was stopping Jake from leaving before you could tell him the truth.

Swallowing your fears, you called out his full name. You sighed in relief when he paused, but your hands shook at your sides as you forced your next words out. “He made me feel like I was unlovable,” you uttered, voice just barely above a whisper. For a second, you were worried he hadn’t heard you, but he turned his head slightly. Finding the courage to continue, you stepped forward. “I’m not… I don’t love Heeseung, Jake. I haven’t loved Heeseung for a really fucking long time.”

But what happened between us gave me all of these terrible thoughts that I didn’t…. That I don’t know how to handle. I thought I was perfectly fine dealing with my insecurities on my own before you came.” He turn his head more, allowing you to see his profile. You saw him open his mouth, ready to retort, but you narrowed your eyes at him. “Sim Jaeyun, if you interrupt me again, I’ll kick your ass.” Your threat wasn’t all that threatening, considering the fact that you were near to tears, but he listened and shut his mouth.

“When you showed up at my apartment, I thought I was going mad. You made me feel like that. It was suddenly so different between us and I didn’t know what to do. You kept saying these things like you were trying to fluster me, and I couldn’t tell if you were being genuine or if my fucked up mind was just creating scenarios where you might actually love me.” Tears were freely falling now, smudging your eye makeup and leaving its trail in your foundation. You stepped closer to Jake, who had fully turned to face you. You stopped, leaving a few meters between you as if you were scared of crossing an invisible boundary.

“Last night was the best night of my life. And every time before that, you made me feel complete and made me so happy, Jake. You made me feel… normal. It felt like I was myself again for the first time in months, but there was something else there, too.” You looked into his eyes, unable to tell what he was thinking. You swallowed thickly, “I don’t love Heeseung, and you’re a fool if you think I do. But it’s so fucking hard to shake off the feeling that at any point you could find someone better, someone who’s prettier, or—”

Jake was quick to close the distance between you, his lips downturned into a scowl as he glowered at you. “Just shut up already,” he spat, cupping your face in his hands and bringing his lips to yours. You felt a thousand times lighter as you kissed him back with the same fervour as him, your tears mixing into the kiss. He dropped a hand to rest on your hip, bringing you flush against him. Once he pulled away, you were both breathless. He rested his forehead against yours as his shoulders rose and fell quickly.

When he finally opened his eyes, gone was the pain and hurt. Now, when he looked at you, he looked with adoring eyes. “I love you,” he whispered. “You might not believe me yet, but just know that whenever I look at you, all I see is the person I want to spend my life with. There isn’t anyone better or prettier—there’s only you.”

He met your eyes before kissing you again. 

You looked into his eyes once you pulled away, a thousand thoughts swirling behind your irises. “I love you,” you breathed out. You reached for his hand, interlocking your fingers together as you smiled tearfully at him. “Help me believe you.”

Jake laughed in disbelief, bringing you close to his chest.

“We have all the time in the world to get there, sweets.”

©WONLOVIE please do not plagiarize, repost, translate, or copy any of my works.

#wonlovie #enhypen #enhypen scenarios #enhypen x reader #jake scenarios #jake x reader #sim jaeyun #sim jaeyun x reader #sim jaeyun scenarios #jake #sim jake #enhypen smut #enhypen fluff #enhypen angst #jake smut #jake fluff #jake angst #jaeyun smut #jaeyun fluff #jaeyun angst #kpop smut #kpop fluff #kpop angst #kpop #kpop x reader #kpop scenarios

[carolmunson]

okay, since some of you asked for it:

unpopular opinion but i don’t actually think eddie was a nice soft boy at all. dustin and mike are literally afraid to ask him to move hellfire. ‘he’s always revved up,’ implying that he’s always like this, always a little close to snapping. he’s not nice to them when he asks them to find a replacement. he also guilt trips them about 'taking them in like lost sheep' and shoves them off to find a replacement instead of keeping lucas included. which is why i don't understand the 'fierce protector of his friends' take because he's so quick to drop lucas just because he's 'moved to the dark side.' aka, throwing balls into laundry baskets.

which leads me to when he gets up on the table, people are not trying to fuck around with him. this is a common occurance, people are not surprised to see him up there and yelling. they aren't surprised that he's making a spectacle of himself. if eddie was soft and sweet, he would’ve gotten beat up. if eddie was soft and gentle, he'd probably be scared of jason. guys like jason in the 80s loved being macho and punching out losers — eddie just gave him the devil horns and called it a day. eddie’s absolutely gotten in fist fights before and won (his dad is a literal criminal!) otherwise someone would've thrown something or told him to shut the fuck up. people are scared of him, even his own friends! there’s more reasons than just playing DND and metal that make town certain that he’s a cult leader. you don't just assume someone is a murderer if they haven't shown any interest in violence before, especially considering his dad was likely a shitty dude. he even bullies erica when she first shows up to hellfire and only respects her when she bullies him back and bests him. he is someone you have to EARN respect from. he will never respect anyone outright or be understanding outright. he doesn't fully respect dustin or mike to start either, he views them as underlings.

even chrissy assumes he's going to be mean and scary, there's gotta be reason behind that. he's not nice or kind in school, which is likely a defense mechanism. he’s sweet with chrissy because he likes her, he has a crush on her. it’s very clear that he has since he was a kid, otherwise why would he bring up them hanging out in middle school? why would he even remember that if he hasn’t been pining for her this whole time? he admits too, albiet flirtily, that he thought SHE'D be mean and scary too, because he doesn't like people 'like that', people he assumes are 'on the dark side'. i’m sure he hoped they’d kiss a little when she went to his trailer. he's even a little sarcastic when she's there, again, defensive. 'the maid took the week off'. but ultimately, he's nice to her because he wants to kiss her and has a crush on her. i don't think it's because he's fully 'showing her who he really is'.

also he's a literal drug dealer????? like?????

he only becomes more gentle and open with dustin and co. when he gets pulled into the upside down/vecna stuff because he needs support. they grow a bond over shared trauma. and i do believe eddie had a big brother type relationship with dustin, but just like steve he loves him begrudgingly 'i love you, you little shit bag' kind of shit. i do believe he liked and cared for his friends but i also think he always had a big layer of mean kid armor on because he had a hard life growing up. how i percieved the character is 'mean bully whose secretly nice but is mean and boisterous and loud as a cover' trope. when he explains that his father taught him to hotwire, he seems bitter about it. of course he is, all the other kids were learning to play ball. but he obviously still retains this information and a whole bunch of other crime tricks from his dad. he's BEEN partaking in this shit. he KNOWS he's a shitty guy. you don't just get taught how to hotwire once and then suddenly know how to do it years later. he's done it before! multiple times! he has practice! he likely knows about warzone cause his daddy absoLUTELY had a gun or two. his dad probably took him there once. he was pulled left and right into bad shit growing up and that will HARDEN YOU. wayne says that murder 'ain't in his nature' and i'm sure it's not. i'm sure he's different with wayne, but idk, to me, it doesn't erase the fact that outwardly, i don't think eddie was nearly as sweet and gentle as people think he is canonically. i think he's a very hardened and tortured person and that even becomes clear with his reaction to chrissy's death and how he goes about things going forward. he was a weird kid with weird interests in a cookie cutter conservative town, had a criminal father, and an unconventional family situation in the 70s and 80s, that shit'll fuck you up and over -- look at boomers y'all! they are emotionally stunted! but, i could go on forever with this character analysis. so i'll stop here. but -- in the words of the real housewives reunion meme: that's MY OPINION!

[lovebugism]

❛ i’m telling you all of a sudden, but it isn’t new to me. i love you. ❜ with our boy Steve Harrington please?

i wrote this after watching little women, so this is like that one laurie and amy scene but stranger things coded <3 hope you like it!! (this is 5k words btw and barely proofread 🫣)

The R.V. smells like coopery blood, alternate dimension muck, and nine teenagers who haven’t showered in three days. But despite all that, Steve Harrington is next to you, smiling. 

As if there’s anything worth being happy about now. 

He tells you about a dream with a hopeful gleam in his honey eyes, like he believes it’ll all come true — like death is staring him in the face. “I know it’s silly, but I… I always dreamed I’d have this really, really big family. I’m talking like, uh— a full brood of Harrington’s. I don’t know, five… Maybe six kids?”

“Six?” you repeat with an incredulous laugh. You turn your body in the passenger seat to face him more, shoulder pressing into the worn pleather. You’ve got your brows raised to your hairline in shock at his admission and a beam on your face you don’t realize is there.

“Uh-huh. Six little nuggets. Three girls, three boys,” he says with an assured nod. There’s a distant smile hinting at the edges of his lips, and he looks at you with it for a moment before turning back to the road again. 

“And every summer, I figured all of us Harrington’s, we’d pack into something like this, and… just see the country. You know, the Rockies, the Grand Canyon, maybe Yellowstone. We’d end up in some beachside town in California and spend a week parked in the sand, maybe learn how to surf or something.”

You can picture the dream so effortlessly, almost like it’s one you’ve had yourself. 

In some ways, you did.

Steve Harrington was the kind of boy that filled you with butterflies and childlike daydreams. It was more innocent than lusting, more significant than a teenage crush. There was a time you’d wanted to be with him so badly that you could barely breathe. It kept you up at night, fantasizing about a future with a boy that didn’t want you. It haunted your dreams just as often.

You were, perhaps a bit begrudgingly, a part of that stereotype — a girl who wanted all of the things adults thought girls wanted. You longed for a pretty white dress and a husband that cried when you walked down the aisle. You wanted a small house with a white picket fence, a home that’s always loud with laughing children and barking dogs and loving parents.

It was a future you only wanted with Steve.

But he didn’t love you. Not the way he loved Nancy.

Not the way he still loves Nancy.

It’s not a crime he needs to confess to for you to know he’s guilty of it. You can see it written all over his face, in the way he talks about his future family and flits his gaze from the winding backroad up to the rearview mirror to look at her. He’s picturing her in his head the way you picture him in yours.

Knowing someone else is a part of this dreamt-up family and not you is a bitter pill to swallow.

It has you looking back too, at the gang of ragtag soldiers you’re about to save the world with. You glance over your shoulder at all of them, finding them dozing or outright sleeping in the back of the R.V. 

You don’t blame them. The past few days have been hell.

You’re just glad Max has finally found a moment of peace. The redhead lazes between Lucas and Dustin on the couch in the very back. She rests her head on the former boy’s soldier, but you can’t tell if she’s sleeping or not. Lucas has his eyes closed but a smile on his face as he lays his cheek on the crown of her head.

Dustin, on the other hand, looks dreadfully out of place among the two lovebirds. His head is tilted back and his mouth is wide open. Soft snores spill from his throat.

Erica, Robin, and Nancy all sit at the tiny table beside the tinier kitchen. Their heads are either resting on their folded arms or pressing against the window.

The small cushion adjacent to the couch is taken up wholly by Eddie. 

Your Eddie.

His long legs are spread and his back is slouched against the side of the R.V. He’s taking up every bit of room the thing has to offer, which wasn’t very much to begin with. His pink lips are parted and slightly chapped. He blows soft exhales from them that make his chest rise and fall with even breaths. 

Your hands begin to ache with the want to run them through his wild strands of hair, to ease his head to your chest and let the sound of your heartbeat chase away the nightmares that threaten to plague him.

You want so badly to sleep alongside him, but you know that slumber won’t come as easily to you.

Despite the exhaustion that weighs down your tired bones, whenever you close your eyes, you can only see Chrissy’s mangled body on the ceiling of Eddie’s trailer. The image of broken bones and sucked-out eye sockets is stained on the back of your mind.

It’s something you’ll never forget. Not in a billion, trillion lifetimes.

You’re scared you won’t ever sleep peacefully again.

But you’re glad Eddie’s finally resting. Even if you can’t. 

And maybe that’s what love is.

…Love.

You almost can’t believe you’re calling it that. It’s not like you’ve told him as much or anything. You haven’t been together very long, only a few months, but you’re not sure what else to call this feeling. Is it normal for you to want to fight the most powerful dark wizard known to man with your bare hands as long as it means keeping Eddie safe?

The realization that you’re actually moving on from Steve is perhaps more shocking. You were starting to think you’d be fawning over him for the rest of your life, destined to be alone forever while he got married and had kids. But then Eddie came out of nowhere. He swept you off your feet without even trying.

You’d spent so much of your life in love with Steve that you’d forgotten how it felt to be loved. But Eddie reminded you, most ardently so, and you’ve never been happier.

And Steve can see all that.

He can see how you’ve gone to hell and back — quite literally — to keep Eddie safe. He can see how Eddie still manages to make you laugh so hard your stomach hurts, even though death looms overhead like a big, gray storm cloud. It almost makes him angry. Not at Eddie, exactly. And certainly not at you. He’s more so mad at himself for waiting until you were out of his grip entirely to need you like air.

Steve wasn’t an idiot; he knew how you felt about him. He’s known for years. But Nancy was the only girl in his purview for… an embarrassingly long amount of time. Maybe that’s because she didn’t want a single damn thing to do with him at first, and it wasn’t like Steve to back down from a challenge.

But you? You were easy. You were always going to be there. Your love was the only constant thing in his life.

And then it just… wasn’t.

It was like his center of gravity had suddenly shifted or his feet had been knocked out from under him. The loss of you, of something that was never his to begin with, jarred him like he’d been awake with most vigor. Now, he finds himself living in a nightmare — forced to watch you fall in love with someone else while he ebbs slowly from your mind.

You sit with him now — with Eddie — while he and Dustin fuck around with the shields they’d crafted out of tin garbage can lids. You watch them with a smile on your face even though you’re shaking your head at them and telling them something that Steve can’t hear. 

You’ve got a sword in your hand, and you sharpen its steel with a rock. The too expensive thing had been hanging on the wall at The War Zone, and you told Eddie you just had to have it. 

“I’ll just… take up extra shifts at Wayne’s shop,” you reason with a shrug, gaze never leaving the bladed weapon.

“Do whatever you want,” the brunette boy responded nonchalantly as he dropped four cases of ammunition into the red basket in your hand. He smiled down at you. “That just means I’ll get to see you more.”

It hurts Steve for you to be so far away from him. 

You’re just across the small clearing. All he’d have to do is walk over to you, really, but it’s more than just the distance. No matter how close he gets to you, or how far you get from Eddie, your soul’s always going to be with him. 

Steve will never have you like that, and that’s what hurts the most.

He thinks he’s doing a pretty good job of keeping a stiff upper lip about it. He thinks he’s keeping some deep, dark secret, having no idea that he’s all but spilling his guts to Robin. Honestly, he’s just trying to make conversations while they make homemade bombs out of gasoline and glass bottles, but he’s more than obvious. As per usual.

“How long do you think they’ve got?” Steve asks her out of the blue while he pours the chemicals through the funnel and into the flask Robin holds out for him. He doesn’t wait for an answer. 

“Because I thought they’d be over forever ago, you know? I mean… it’s Eddie. She’s, like, totally out of his league, right? But I’m pretty sure they just had an anniversary or something because I saw him buying flowers at Bradley’s Big Buy the other day…”

Robin opens her mouth to get a word in, but Steve just keeps on going going going.

“Unless you think they were for someone else? But let’s be serious, right? He’s a freak, but he’d never do that to her. I don’t know… Maybe he’s just the sorta guy that gets her flower for no reason, and it hasn’t been as long as it feels.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure they—”

“Let’s face it, if he’s doing that for her, they’re probably gonna make it, right?” the boy laughs bitterly to himself. He stuffs a rag into the neck of the bottle. “God, I’m such an idiot… Maybe if I’d done those things, I’d still—”

“I swear to god, if you say you’d still be with Nancy, I’m gonna punch you in the forehead,” Robin snapped suddenly. She’s got a foreign sternness to her tone and a glacial hardness in her blue eyes. She glares at him with it. “You don’t love Nancy, Steve. And she doesn’t love you. So stop going for the easiest thing when you know it’s not what you want.”

He sighs. He knows she’s right. “I just—”

“I get it. It sucks being lonely. I’m pretty sure I’m destined to spend the rest of my life alone, so join the club,” Robin smiles, a tad bit cynically, at him. “It sucks being in love with someone you can’t have. Trust me, I get it. But you need to move on.”

Steve swallows. He almost winces at the thought of that — of never having you. He shakes his head as though to get rid of the idea entirely. “I can’t… I can’t do that, Rob.”

“Then what are you gonna do, Steve?” she asks him with a mirthless, but not unkind laugh. 

She nods her head over to you. You laugh as Eddie spins you in his arms, both of you marveling at how you’ve just nailed a tree on the far edge of the clearing with the knives you’d thrown at it. Steve can hear the sound of your bubbly laughter from where he sits. Its brightness rivals that of the setting sun. 

“Look at her. She’s happy. Finally. So… Just let her be happy,” Robin advises with a shrug. She sets the glass bottle in the box with the rest of them. “I mean, we’re about to stop a dark wizard from ending the world, you know? Some of us probably won’t make it out—”

“Don’t say that,” Steve scolds.

“Some of us probably won’t make it,” she repeats, firmer this time, like it’s something he really needs to hear. “Something could happen to Eddie. Something could happen to her. Do you really want to be the selfish asshole that ruins what could very well be everyone’s last moments together just because you’ve got a bleeding heart?”

She’s being harsh. He knows it deserves it. Now is virtually the worst time to tell you everything on his mind — just when you’re starting to really settle down with Eddie and about to fight some wizard in an alternate dimension.

Something could happen to her. Those words left Robin’s mouth and stabbed him in the heart like a thousand unforgiving knives. Steve can’t fathom anything ever happening to you. Even with the end of the world, with all of you about to fight a war, it never crossed his mind. He can’t picture his life without you in it.

He can’t lose you without telling you how he feels — that he loves you, that he’s always loved you, and that he’s an oblivious idiot who learned that too late.

He can’t lose you at all.

So, against his better judgment and Robin’s sound advice, Steve abandons his work with her and hikes the relatively short distance over to you.

Eddie hasn’t yet let go of you. He keeps his arms tight around your waist and hugs you from behind, pressing the back of you to his chest while his chin sits along your shoulder. His chocolate eyes are stuck on the bullseye you’d carved into the bark of the tree on the far side of the clearing. The four knives you’d thrown, now stuck at the very center of the target, stare back at him.

“This is probably a bad time to be turned on, huh?” he half-jokes, chin bobbing against your shoulder with every word.

“Eddie!” you scold as you wrench yourself out of his grip.

Dustin’s face screws up from where he lounges on the grass beside the both of you. “Gross…” 

You walk away from the two boys to collect your knives from the poor oak tree. Eddie whistles lowly at you while you go — as though he’s never seen you in a pair of jeans before. You throw your middle finger over your shoulder at him in response.

That’s when Steve catches you, when you’re finally alone, and with a tiny white lie of needing to go back to the R.V. for more gasoline. You offer to walk with him, just like he figured you might, because none of you wants anyone to go off alone. Not with Vecna potentially watching you.

You walk alongside him through the thick wood, dodging low-hanging branches and uplifted roots. Steve notices the distant smile dancing on the corners of your lips — a beautiful stain Eddie’s left there.

“What are you gonna do?” he asks you suddenly. “You know, when this is all over?”

Your brows raise at his question, mouth falling softly agape and eyes widening with a far-off look. You look stumped by the simple inquiry, like it’s something you hadn’t thought of yet — of any of this being over.

“I don’t know…” you murmur. “Go back to work, I guess.”

Steve laughs. “We’re gonna save the world tonight, and you’re gonna be back in the office on Monday?”

“Who knows? Maybe I’ll take a sick day,” you joke, just to hear him laugh again.

He lifts a splintered tree limb to get it out of the way for you, then ushers you to walk ahead of him. You mutter a low and shy “thank you” as you walk beneath it. He lets the branch fall again as he follows behind you.

“What about you, then?” you retort. “What are you gonna do after? Since going back to a nine-to-five is so unreasonable.”

“Actually, I was thinking about writing an opera,” Steve quips with a straight face. “I would be the main character, of course—”

“You’re such an idiot,” you giggle with the shake of your head. The airy, sunshine sound makes him smile down at you. His honey-tined gaze swims with longing. You don’t catch it because you’re not looking back at him.

“What do you want me to do, then?”

You tilt your head to catch his stare. Your eyes sparkle and your brows arch with a look both soft and stern. “Honest answer?”

“Of course.”

“I think you should go work for your dad. Try and… I don’t know… make something for yourself—”

“Alright, that’s not…”

“—Because you can’t work at Family Video forever, Steve!”

“You’re not playing fair,” he concedes quietly, laughing under his breath and shaking his head.

He shouldn’t have expected anything less — you did preface an honest answer, after all. It doesn’t make him feel any less bad about it, though.

You’d supported Steve through a lot of shit. Every mindless fight with his parents, every breakup that had him swearing he would never love again, every aspect of his douchebag phase that almost ruined your friendship. You were always soft with him, but never dishonest.

So when he told you that his dad offered him a well-paying job in Indianapolis, it didn’t surprise him when you told him to take it. Despite all the other shit (his broken relationship with his father and his incessant daydreaming of settling down with Nancy, namely), you knew he wasn’t happy in Hawkins.

“Fuck your dad, Steve. This isn’t about him,” you’d said. “You should take it! Starting building your life in the city! And when you’re finally making more money than your stupid dad, you can rub it in everyone’s stupid faces.”

Steve, of course, ended up turning it down.

The salary was high — too high for a boy just out of high school — but he figured no amount of money was worth a wounded pride. 

Steve was scared that it was all a ploy, another thing his dad could hold over his head, another accomplishment that wasn’t really his. And, truth be told, he was less enthusiastic about leaving Hawkins without you. He isn’t quite sure where he’d be in life without you guiding him through a significant portion of it. It made it nearly impossible to picture a life that didn’t have you at the very center of it.

He happily took to be Robin Buckley’s schmuck at Scoops Ahoy (and then again at Family Video) and Dustin Henderson’s unofficial chauffeur instead. He didn’t mind being a casualty of rattrap small town as long as it meant he didn’t have to stray too far from you.

But here you were now, right next to him in this lonesome forest, and still so far away.

You meet his boyishly forlorn expression with a sincere, tight-lipped smile. “You know that I’m right.”

“Yeah, I do,” he scoffs in response. “That’s the problem.”

“When we kill Vecna and save Hawkins for the… thousandth time… You should take that job. I mean, screw your dad, you deserve a life outside of all this shit—”

“So do you,” he argues.

“I’ll make it without you, Harrington. I’ll try to, anyway,” you quip, turning your gaze up to the family of birds sitting high in an oak tree and wishing you were one of them. You shrug to yourself. “I’ll keep on being a secretary at the car shop… Maybe settle down with Eddie.”

That makes Steve stop dead in his tracks. He laughs bitterly to himself, a quiet and venom-coated scoff. “Right. Because living with his uncle in a one-bedroom trailer is such a dream.”

It makes you stop, too, and turn on your heel to face him. You’re surprised to find him so many paces back. Steve sees a flash of hurt strike like lightning across your features, but he’s too hurt to apologize.

“I get it,” you concede with a small, cynical smile. “You don’t like him. You never have. But… He’s a good guy, Steve. If you just got to know him—”

“It’s not that,” he mumbles, cutting you off before he has to suffer through a list of reasons why Eddie’s so much better than he is. The boy’s gaze falls to the forest floor. He kicks a bunch of green pine needles with the toe of his sneaker rather than meet your prying gaze.

“Then what is it?” you retort. “Because I was just trying to help you. I didn’t say to, like, hurt your feelings or whatever. I just know that you want a life in the city, with a big house and a whole bunch of kids—” A laugh spills from your lips as you remember the dream he was telling you about. “You want that picture-perfect life, right? Now you can have it!”

“You don’t know what I want,” he counters quietly.

“Oh, please. I know you better than you know yourself, Steve Harrington—”

“Break up with him,” he blurts.

Your playful smile fades almost instantly. Your eyes search his face for any hint that he might be joking, but all you find is a deeply heartbroken boy. His bushy brows are scrunched together, his eyes glimmering with unshed tears, a puppy-like hurt painting each of his features.

You match his expression of grief with your own. Your face scrunches with a mixture of confusion and sorrow. “Wh… What?” you manage to stutter after realizing you’d been holding your breath.

“I don’t want you to settle down with Eddie,” Steve confesses. A secret he thought he’d take to his grave before ever telling you.

You’re quiet. For several long moments, you’re eerily silent. Even the forest hangs on bated breath. Birds stop chirping, the wind stops blowing, leaves stop rustling. It’s just you and him and a great big world waiting on the both of you.

A frown pulls down the very corners of your mouth. Your eyes go glassy and wide, like a heartbroken baby, and your head jerks back softly, still defensive and unsure.

“Why?” you force through a tightening throat.

“Why?” Steve repeats, finding it somehow within himself to laugh. He takes several short strides to stand with you again. With him closer now, you can see the sadness in his smile and the flush that blotches his cheeks. “You know why…”

You only shake your head in response. The words are far harder to get out. “No…”

“I just… I know it feels like I’m saying it all of a sudden, but it’s… It’s not new to me, you know?” Steve tries his best to explain to you why he’s choosing now, of all moments, to pour his heart out to you. His eyes are as wide and hopeful as the palms he waves out in front of him. “I don’t wanna go into this without you knowing how I feel about you—” 

“Steve,” you agonize in hopes of ending his rambling. “Don’t.”

“—And I just want you to know, in case something happens, that I love you.”

“No,” you say with the defiant shake of your head, your chin quivering and your gaze ice-cold.

“Yes,” he replies, just as stubborn.

“Steve…” you choke out when the name gets hung in your throat. 

A warm tear falls from your lashes and onto the very apple of your cheek. You wipe it away with the back of your hand and use your free one to bat Steve away when he tries to reach out for you. You stumble back from him, heading back the way you came — back to Eddie.

“Don’t, Steve. Just stop it.”

“Why?” he grieves in the softest voice he can muster, wet and warm with his hurt.

“You’re being mean,” you scold.

“I’m being mean?” he echoes with a sad sort of laugh.

“When it comes to you… I have always been second to Nancy. Always. And I won’t be the person you settle for just because she doesn’t want you, Steve,” you rant, voice fragile like glass or flower petals. 

He wants to tell you that he doesn’t want Nancy — that being with the person he loves won’t be settling — but you continue in your lament, and he misses the chance.

“I can’t… I won’t do it, okay? Not after I’ve spent my entire life loving you,” you confess to him, face scrunched in anger. It’s a subtle sort of rage, pointed both at him and yourself.

He watches, feeling totally helpless, while you wipe bitterly at your damp cheeks. Steve’s seen a lot of assholes make you cry. He never dreamed he’d be one of them. 

Robin was right. He’d ruined everything. It seems to be the only thing he’s good at these days.

“I’m sorry,” he calls to you as you walk away. “I wasn’t… I didn’t say it to make you sad.”

“You shouldn’t have said it at all!” you shout back, angrier than you’ve ever been with him. You take in a stuttering breath and exhale a shakier sigh, trying to calm yourself down again. “I just don’t get why you waited so long…” you agonize, words wet with tears. “Why did you wait until I was happy? Eddie… Eddie’s so nice to me, Steve. And you just… You just throw this shit at me right before we... That’s not fair.”

“I know…” he murmurs. “I know…”

The world starts turning again. 

Birds sing their songs, sounding somehow sadder than before, as though in lament for the brokenhearted boy. The wind begins to whistle as it brushes through the trees. It’s only half successful in breathing air back into your lungs.

A rustling of the brush gains both of your attention’s. It sounds like something is slithering somewhere in the thick laurel — a rabbit, a snake, a dark wizard out to kill a bunch of sad teenagers. 

You and Steve are alone, heartbroken, and clear targets for a monster who feeds on traumatized kids.

Though it’s entirely unlikely that Vecna has crawled out from the depths of the Upside Down and into these woods, you and Steve reach for your respective weapons anyway — him for the axe strapped to his back and you for the knives hanging on your belt. You’re ready to protect each other despite your distant anger.

But instead of some shriveled skin creep, you find freaks of a different kind.

The pale human faces of Dustin and Eddie peek out from the brush with curious smiles. They maneuver through the thicket and try to avoid the thorns. “What’s going on over here, huh?” the oldest boy wonders with his signature sparkling grin.

It’s almost scary how you so easily contort your features full of grief into a sickly sweet, artificial smile. You swipe the back of your hand over your face again to clear the tears clinging to your lashes, though it looks like you’re only wiping away sweat.

“Nothing,” you answer quickly with the innocent shake of your head. “Steve was just being an idiot—”

“Imagine that,” Dustin scoffs.

“—And saying stuff he doesn’t mean.”

“That’s not true,” Steve mutters, then clears his throat when the words come out more choked than expected.

“Just wanted to make sure you weren’t out here making moves on my girl, Harrington,” Eddie lilts with a playful smile. He reaches you and wraps a heavy arm over your shoulder to tuck you into his side. 

His sudden touches stopped surprising you a long time ago. You realized early on in your relationship that he can’t go without touching you for very long.

Eddie squints teasingly at Steve. “Go get your own.”

The boy doesn’t have a comeback at the ready. He isn’t sure of what to say, anyway. Eddie’s jokes aren’t as funny when they aren’t jokesanymore. He was just sort of professing his love to you and getting his heart stomped on in the process. He should probably be used to the feeling by now, but it stings like it’s brand new.

You’re grateful for Eddie’s appearance and the bickering that seems to follow him wherever he goes. It’s easy to get lost in his words, let all the sarcasm run over you, and forget the bullshit that came before it.

“We should head back before the others think we got abducted by Vecna or something,” you urge, desperate to get away from these woods and from this moment.

Dustin listens to you without question because he always listens to you. And Steve listens because he wants an escape just as much as you do. He’d rather go back to Robin and all her “I told you so”’s than keep watching Eddie hold you like he is now.

“What do ya say we skip this joint and have our own fun out here?” the wild-haired boy jokes, already leaning down to press a kiss to your mouth.

“Eddie, don’t—” you huff, but otherwise don’t fight him. It’s only an innocent peck, a loud smack upon your lips, that makes Dustin mutter “gross…” under his breath as he walks away. 

And if he heard it, that means Steve heard it.

You keep your eyes open all the while. You feel a bit numb, actually. A little like you’ve just kissed a ghost. You feel as cold as one, as distant and not all there. Eddie holds your hand the entire walk back to the clearing, but you have a hard time feeling it.

You feel a bit like woods surrounding you. You’re all crowded and heavy with sadness. You can’t tell if your grief is your own or if you’re feeling Steve’s too, because you can’t seem to take your eyes off him.

There’s an entire forest within you, you find, and Steve’s carved his initials into every tree.

#published by bug #steve harrington x reader #stranger things x reader #stranger things imagine #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x you #stevie drabble #st drabbles

[androgynousblackbox]

Hellsing Appleradio AU

Lucifer Van Morningstar (24 years old)

The young Lord that is the face of the Morningstar family from a young age after the passing of his parents. He woke up Alastor after the house was attacked as a last resource at 18 and has been dealing with his annoying ass since then. Before the attack, Lucifer was already pretty efficient at fencing and some hand to hand combat, but after it, and the help of the new employees Alastor brought to the house, he learns to use guns and other ways of fighting.

Charlotte/Charlie Van Morningstar (3 years old)

The little sunshine of the castle that was the biggest joy of Lucifer after the sudden passing of his wife. She always gets into unexpected situations because Alastor has to obey her just the same as Lucifer. If the little lady wants to travel on his shoulders on his monster form and climb through the exterior of the castle, Alastor has to do it. If Charlie wants him to act out her favorite portions on her storybooks, Alastor will while dreading anyone else of the staff seeing him on a princess costume. Charlie always plays as the knight or the dragon.

Alastor/Radio Demon (At least 400 years old but who knows really)

Made a deal with the Morningstar family to serve them as long he could get a drop or more of their blood as payment from time to time. He was sealed in a chamber in the Morningstar castle by Lucifer's father shortly after Lucifer was born because they feared that he being awake could attract danger to their house. He loves violence and chaos, which is why it's so hard to him when Lucifer or Charlie have him doing mundane shit like going to get groceries or cooking cookies because Charlie wanted them to. Since he is the most powerful being there, he has the assumption that the Morningstar family belong to him and is the owner of the whole place. A impression that Lucifer very much does not care for. He fucking hated Lilith the moment Lucifer showed interest on her and told Lucifer that he wasn't "allowed" to marry her, which of course meant that Lucifer marry her faster. When she dies suddenly, he didn't separate from Lucifer's side and was the main motivator to get Lucifer to came out of his room at all. He tells everyone he only cares about the food and nothing else, but begrudgingly starts caring for the two tyrants that "ruined" his existence. Charlie calls him "Allie". After Lucifer woke him up, he quickly fires the entire staff on the castle, because obviously they suck at their fucking job, and hires a bunch of people especially selected by him.

Anthony/Angel (26 years old)

The butler/bodyguard of the Morningstar, packed with at least a dozen of hidden weapons at all times, and gun expert. Previously the son of a assasins's family that trained him since birth to be the perfect killing machine, recluted by Alastor after he managed to escape. Originally nicknamed "angel" because his killings were always quick and as painless as possible. He has no fucking clue about anything supernatural and does not care. Went to work and accepted the butler training because, frankly, he had nothing else better to do.

Husker (35 years old)

Chef of the Morningstar family, expert on the creation of almost any poison you can think of and also their cure. Used to work hidden in the black market selling his products for the highest bitter and then was found by Alastor just when he was about to be caught by the police. Accepted to work there for as long it keeps him jail free. Creates his own alcohol on his free time.

Niffty (31 years old)

The maid of the house. Nobody really knows a lot about her. The only thing Alastor bothered to tell people is that one day she snapped and killed her husband, but don't worry, besides that she is completely harmless. As long you weren't a rat or a intruder that came without invitation, that is. Don't trust her with scissors, though, because she will get them dull in no time.

Cherri Bomb (26 years old)

The driver of the Morningstar. She was a racer that was faster thatn everyone else, but when an rival sabotaged her car and almost had her killed in a explosion Alastor took her out and told her he knew a place where she could drive as fast as she wanted to. Lucifer doesn't really like when she goes full speed, but she never had a single accident and one could always count on her being there when the situation require her.

Sir Pentious (30 years old)

The expert on machinery and general repair man of the house. He made all the weapons that Anthony uses, the security system for the whole castle and even modified all the cars so they would be as safe as possible. Originally was brought after he failed to get investor for one of his inventions with the promise that he could work comfortably there and receive his pay, but soon really starts liking that Lucifer is a good boss that praises what he does. He also made a few toys for Charlie to play through out the years.

Alll the staff made a pact of blood with Alastor to swear to protect the Morningstar family.

Vox Populi (???)

A cyborg priest that was awaken up by the Church to deal with the presence of demons, exorcism and other supernatural causes as the leader of the Iscariote organization. Nobody has any clue why he was a cyborg at all or how it happened. He was send to sleep when he created a cult with himself as the leader where he was carrying out human sacrifices, but he "learned his lesson now" so he is a totally reformed priest again who toooootally is not stealing the charity money destined to orphanages and he is absolutely devoted to his work only, he totally swears it, for real. Part of the reason he was woken up was a preventive measure when they find out that Alastor have been awaken again, in case the Morninstars wanted an uprising. The Church fully believes he is the only non demonic being that could probably go up against Alastor. Probably.

Valentino (34 years)

Part of the Iscariote organization. He uses a nun outfit even thought he really shouldn't have to. Raised in multiple orphanages from where he managed to escape from and expelled of at least a dozen of religious schools for many reasons. The cause of more than one priest or nun abandoning their faith and lead to sin, which people especulate is the reason why he is allowed to keep working for the Church, but has calmed down significantly since working with Vox. Any excuse to kill with the blessing of the Church is a good one, doesn't matter if they are supernatural or not.

#appleradio #duckiedeer #radioapple #hazbin hotel lucifer #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin hotel au #lucifer x alastor #hazbin hotel charlie

[jaegonsmoon]

I love the fics where the three boys are actually trueborn Valeryon-Targarian boys, like Harwin helps Laenor in the bedroom and such. So, like, it's funny imagining that all three are trueborn but they got Nyra's skin color and Rheanys's hair color like "canon" but have that specific Valeryon birthmark except all 3 have it in a very specific place that you can't see like the inner thigh or midback.

So imagine Alicent still tries to start the rumors that they're bastards till someone mentions the boys birthmark and such or Aegon or Aemond mention the birthmark and now Alicent knows she's in shit bc they're trueborn, genetics are just wild.

Or if we go the a/o/b way Aegon and Aemond are mates with Jace and Luke respectively.

Their pups come out with Laenor's skin tone and now THEY'RE the ones who are being called "whores" and whatever till their fathers show the birthmark that comes from Rheanys side of the fam.

so a while ago I made this one shot on twt bc it was inspired by a word prompt over there, but also very slightly inspired by this ask. I totally forgot to post it but I’m doing so now that I remembered. apologies ik is not what you were asking per se but I wanted to let you know that I read you and thought of you when I wrote the last bits of it :)

[EDIT]

I’m posting the ficlet in your answer now, (honestly should’ve done just that fron the start) since ppl in ao3 are straight up miserable and it’s so discouraging to share anything this days anymore. apologies!!

~say yes to heaven~

Pairing: Aemond/Lucerys

Tags: omega Aemond, alpha Lucerys, married aemond, infidelity, Lord of the Tides Lucerys.

For all his mother tried to presume her children marriages, Aemond led a pretty unhappy life. He was married to an alpha who refused to bond with him and refused to give him children until he’d see it ‘fit’—so naturally, the man was not happy when Aemond finally got pregnant.

It had happened after his monthly trip to King’s Landing, where the family had been summoned to attend royal business. His husband didn’t feel like going at that time, which Aemond was relieved about for once. He cherished the distance between him and his husband whenever it was granted.

Being there surrounded by his family put him at ease, something he never felt back at his husband’s. However, there was something Aemond didn't expect and that was to run into his nephew. Lucerys, to be more specific.

Aemond knew the boy was an alpha, though he’d presented a little late. Right after Aemond’s wedding. He remembers his father’s words when they got the news. “Ah, a pity it was so late. If I could’ve known, it would’ve been the perfect match for Aemond.”

His mother had been scandalised at such suggestion. But at that point, begrudgingly so, Aemond wasn’t. Anything would’ve been better than the deal he had gotten. Even if that meant that he’d be mated to the boy who took his eye and maimed him.

At least he would be bonded.

Lucerys was growing into a fine man. He’d gotten tall and was buffing out a bit. His face remained boyish looking, but he could see the resemblance of Harwin Strong starting to bleed through—but even then, he could see so much of his sister in him, too. He was beautiful, his nephew, there was no point in denying that fact. Joyful and free spirited. He was a prince of the realm and a soon-to-be Lord of the Tides. And Aemond found himself wishing it had really been him. Because even in the remaining bitterness he inevitably still held against his nephew, he could see his gentleness. And perhaps, Aemond, can’t help but delude himself, he could’ve even been happy.

A lot ended up happening on this trip. Aemond’s father, the King, died that week, and everything was a mess. He knew of his grandfather’s displeasure of his sister’s claim to the throne, he knew how he would still try to pull and stir some shit against the rightful heir, despite his mother siding with Rhaenyra. She at last recognised none son of hers had a claim to the throne after Viserys made it clear countless of times.

Aegon was an omega as well, happily mated and married to Jacaerys, they already had three children. He would be Queen consort eventually, that eased their mother a bit. In truth, neither Aemond, Aegon nor Daeron cared for the metal chair. And still—even when some stuff went down, Rhaenyra’s coronation still happened right after Viserys II’s funeral, and everything went according to plan.

Aemond got pissed drunk that day.

Along with Aegon, Jace and Luke who joined them last. Joffrey and Daeron were not here. They were in Essos, studying in the free cities because they were betas and had that kind of freedom. They also had privilege.They missed their mother and sister’s succession because they were too far away to arrive in time. Meanwhile Aemond was stuck, playing the sad, pathetic trophy wife to someone who didn’t even want the trophy. ‘Nor did he fucking deserved it.’ Those had been Luke’s words.

He’d continued to whine and complain about it all, he didn’t care. The drinks kept coming so the more he talked. One thing led to the other and the next thing he knew he was back in his chambers, mouth and body being devoured by his nephew’s perfect mouth. He’d never come so many times in a row. Hell, he had never come by somebody else’s ministrations at all before.

He’d like to say that it was the alcohol that led him to make this disgraceful deed, but it wasn’t. Because it kept happening. Again, and again, and again. And he let his nephew knot him each time. Because Aemond didn’t give a fuck anymore. He was tired of feeling so unwanted. So unloved. Luke made him see stars. He gave him a taste of life in each kiss, in every single touch of his hands and lips. He didn’t care. In fact, he wanted to be so full of his bastard nephew that he would bear him his own bastards.

Luke almost bites him. Multiple times, and Aemond almost let him. He wanted to let him, but he knew better, they both did.

And that’s how Aemond returned to what he was forced to call home. So well fucked and with his bastard nephew’s seed growing inside him.

His husband didn’t notice, why would he? The fool was always drunk out of his mind. When he had questioned Aemond, telling him he couldn’t recall; all he’d say was “You were drunk, dear, it was right before I left.” And they left it at that, his husband threw a fit about this not being the right time, something about how Rhaenyra’s succession had been disgraceful for their business and his house was losing money like crazy. Aemond didn’t care, he didn’t even listen most of the time. All he could feel and think was the life that grew inside his womb every day, and how it was not tainted by that scumbag, but blessed by the fire and blood he and his baby’s true sire shared.

When Aemond had his son, he had him in King’s Landing. He’d spoken to his mother stating his wish and how he wanted good maesters. He didn’t trust anyone in his lord husband’s wretched place. His mother had spoken to his sister and Rhaenyra had gladly accepted, so when there were only two moons before his labours, he moved to the Keep.

The absence of his lord husband was very much felt as the days passed. Aemond sat by one of weirwood trees in the Godswood one afternoon when the Queen approached him. They shared small talk and some sweets she’d summoned for them. Aemond was obsessed with cranberry tarts recently.

She then cornered him. “Tell me brother, how are you, truly?”

The day was sunny and warm, but breezy. Aemond took in a deep breath before he answered his sister-queen.

“As of right now, I am well enough. I like being here, it’s— I feel like it does me good.” He replied sincerely.

Rhaenyra hummed, a gesture that made them so similar at times; she schooled him. “What about your marriage?”

Aemond didn’t catch the way his body tensed in time to mask it, yet his face remained impassive. “What of it?”

“Are you content?”

He pursed his lips and kept quiet, trying to find a way to make it sound the less miserable he could.

“Because if you’re not, all you have to do is ask.” She said after taking his silence for what it was: no.

“Ask?” Aemond winced.

The Queen nodded. “You say the word and I will annul it. There’s no reason for you to be in an uncomfortable or unlovable situation. It’s not benefiting anyone, I don’t need any alliances with your lord husband, he’s not the heir of his house. His brother and father are already sworn to me. As for the child, they’re a Targaryen firstmost, no disgrace will fall upon them, or you, the Queen’s younger brother. Not under my rule.”

Aemond let her words settle, words that filled him with both, relief and dread. It meant the world to him to finally have somebody on his side, to have his back this way, but also that could mean other things. Like a chance to properly be with the one he truly loved. It made him chilly, though, the thought of not being loved the same way in return. The possibilities both scared him and freed him.

“Thank you, your grace.”

Lucerys had come to visit upon learning that Aemond was back in King’s Landing, alone. The alpha flew often from Driftmark.

The second the alpha approached him at night upon his arrival, he'd cornered him, scenting viciously at his neck. “It’s mine, isn’t it?” One of his hands cradled his swollen stomach gently. “I put that baby in your belly?”

Aemond moaned softly, his knees almost giving out.

“Yes,” he’d admitted against his mouth, a private whisper. Then he tried to bite down a smile as he spoke again. “I’m giving you a bastard, bastard.”

Lucerys made sweet, deep love to him that night. It was their truth.

When the baby was born, his husband had been summoned. It was his duty, plus the Queen’s orders. He wasn’t in the birthing room, Dowager Queen Alicent, his mother, was instead.

Aemond birthed a son with violet eyes and soft brown hair that curled at the ends. A curious thing, because his husband was a ginger with icy blue eyes.

But not as curious as the peculiar birthmark the boy carried on one of his little wrists.

“You did well, brother.” Queen Rhaenyra says as she holds her nephew for the first time.

Aemond could only smile a little from where he rested on his bed now. Lucerys was there too, he just arrived quietly. Aemond acknowledged him with a meaningful look.

“How adorable,” Rhaenyra cooed, playing with the newborn baby’s small hand, now tracing the birthmark she noticed there. “You know, Lucerys has the same unique birthmar—” she cut herself off immediately, and the room went tensely quiet.

#I think I have mentioned thid os before so here it is! #lucemond bastard baby ily #jsm old asks release #lucemond #aemond x lucerys #aemond targaryen #lucerys velaryon #abo lucemond #lucemond drabble #lucemond fic #lucemond fanfic

[huntingrays]

wrightworth fake dating au

one day, phoenix gets a wedding invite in the mail from a family member. as he’s reading it, he realizes it’s from his least favorite aunt that he had beef with. he doesn’t see her often due to some comments she’s made about his bisexuality (she’s not overly rude or homophobic but the comments still don’t fly with his gay moms), but the encounters he’s had still leave a bitter taste in his mouth and his blood boiling. normally, he’d rsvp no, but he’s petty and desperate to show her up at her wedding to her third husband.

he decides the best way to do this is to propose to his gay lover at her wedding.

the only problem is that he doesn’t have a gay lover.

he’s going to have to fake date someone and make their relationship look real enough for a proposal to be believable. he comes to the realization that only one qualified enough… is miles.

it takes a lot to convince miles (he’s sure it’s a horrible plan and he has no clue why he’d agree to a deal where the only thing in it for him is more unnecessary feelings), but he eventually gives due to phoenix’s incessant begging.

since phoenix wants their fake relationship to be perfect, he has them go on fake dates (that are weirdly similar to the dinners they often go on) as well as go over the details of their “relationship” (they make it similar to their current friendship, just with them falling in love and getting together after phoenix gets his badge back). it took a lot of convincing for miles to agree to the proposal plan on top of the fake dating scheme, but he can’t win arguments with wright when he’s dead set on a crazy idea, so he begrudgingly gives in (as long as he gets to pick out the ring, because he doubts wright would pick a good enough ring for their fake engagement).

the day comes and the two are confident in their plan. the only problem could be wright’s moms, since he’s close to them and he’s not sure if they’d buy him not telling them about him being in a relationship. however, to their great surprise, they buy it pretty easily. one of them said she suspected it would happen sooner or later with how much phoenix talks about miles while the other assumed that they had been dating for years and just didn’t outwardly say it due to it being obvious (“i mean, i had a feeling you were in love with him after you confessed you wanted to go into law to help him after seeing him in the paper” -mrs. wright).

the wedding is fairly uneventful, and phoenix makes sure to show off his “partner” to everybody he interacts with, since he’s sure loudly and proudly being in love with another man at her wedding would piss of his aunt more (by the time the reception rolls around, miles is incredibly flustered despite the whole relationship being fake).

their proposal goes off without a hitch, and phoenix relishes in the furious look on his aunt’s face.

phoenix expects it to end after the wedding is over. after all, he and miles part ways after, and all he has is the memories and his intense feelings for his dear friend.

however, it does not, in fact, end there.

what phoenix didn’t know was that an old acquaintance was the plus one for one of his cousins. she saw the proposal and had to take a picture, confident that a story about the engagement between chief prosecutor miles edgeworth and defense attorney phoenix wright would be just the thing to really kick off her career.

turns out, lotta hart was very right, and phoenix and miles had to deal with their fake proposal being very public (as well as their friends being upset that they weren’t even told that the two were dating in the first place)

#ace attorney #ace attorney au #fake dating #miles edgeworth #phoenix wright #narumitsu #wrightworth #i love fake dating but due to one person being incredibly petty #so much potential me thinks #nick is relieved a murder doesn’t happen at the wedding but them BOOM!! news articles abt him and miles #wright feels bad and edgey regrets ever agreeing to wright’s plan #also i love fics when phoenix has two moms :D

[bradshawsbitch]

winter blues | rhett abbott x gn!reader

my masterlist | my ko-fi

synopsis; rhett had never cared much for christmas. and it seemed that no one really cared for him. except perhaps you.

warnings; gender neutral reader, fluff, no use of y/n, mentions of old norms of raising boys, mentions of belt, ideations of toxic masculinity, repressed emotions, firearm mention (very brief), me once again somewhat waxing poetic about horses, l-bombs, mentions of christmas morning alone, rhett abbott wants love and he wants to be cherished okay

disclaimer; this can be read to be a part of the horsemanship universe, but there is no need to read that to get the ropes of this one.

word count; 2K. short n' sweet.

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There were many things in life that passed by Rhett. Things that he shrugged off, things that he fought for, and things he simply let go. It had been long since he’d given up fighting for recognition or thanks for his actions, when it had dawned on him that those things were expected of him. Rhett was expected to wake up early on Christmas morning to feed the horses and check the cattle, because Perry had Amy. Perry had Amy, and Royal had Cecilia - meanwhile Rhett didn’t have anyone who needed his presence during those early morning hours. No one who cared if he was out in the bitter snow, making sure the animals were safe and fed. 

It had been like this for a few years now. For some reason, Royal had come to the conclusion that Rhett could shoulder more than his older brother could. Rhett was made of something sturdier, he let things go - he shrugged it off. Truth of the matter was that Rhett cared. He cared so much. Royal had noticed it when his son was younger, in the way his son cared so deeply for the animals - he’d cry if Royal had to put any of them down. Rhett would ask questions, he was curious and inquisitive as a youth. Full of life, and full of emotion. As a child Rhett had cried freely, and often - something that Royal could not quite comprehend nor completely accept.

Royal had made it his mission to toughen up his son. Make him ready for the harsh and rugged reality of the world around him, and he had done so with gusto. He’d usually only tell his son to bite the bullet, or shake him slightly if that didn’t work - and only when Rhett was little would he ever use the belt on him to make him understand.

In Royals’ eyes he’d done Rhett a favor. He’d prepared him for taking on the responsibilities of being a man. In Rhett’s eyes, he’d been muted almost - thrown aside and been branded as ‘useless’ unless he proved his worth through strength and stoic bravery. 

Rhett had shouldered the responsibilities his father had deemed him strong enough to bear. He’d protect his brother, he would protect his niece, his father, his mother - anyone, really. He would do it in a heartbeat if he felt it necessary, and he wouldn’t ask for much back.

Furrowed brows almost disappeared beneath the brim of his hat as he stood by his red mare, her soft neigh and snorts of appreciation enough to bring a smile to his face. His father had once threatened to put the mare down if he didn’t stop crying. That was the only time Rhett had told his father to 'fuck off' before vibrating with anger and storming off so he didn't get physical with his father. 

His long fingers smoothed over the neck of the mares thick winter coat, his fingers almost disappearing from view in the soft red. Cayenne turned her head towards Rhett, letting her muzzle rest against his stomach as she exhaled loudly. The sound made Rhett smile, reaching up to scratch softly behind her fluffy ear. 

“I like you too, sweets,” he murmured softly. The mare had almost finished up her breakfast, and the other horses were chewing peacefully in the stalls around them. It was still pitch black out at this early hour, and Rhett had begrudgingly pelted on layers of clothing to keep himself warm as he hauled bales of hay into the barn. Perry was supposed to have done it yesterday, but Rhett was never surprised anymore when it wasn’t done. Just another thing to let go and let pass by. 

Giving his mare a quick brush, with only one temper tantrum from her side, Rhett swiftly made sure the thick blanket under her saddle was comfortable for her before saddling and gently warming the bit of the bridle in his hands before slowly easing it into her mouth. 

“C’mon, Cay, time to make sure the others are doing alright out on the pastures,” Rhett mumbled softly, leading the mare out of the stables and hauling himself into the comfortable seat of the saddle.

Quickly adjusting the reins, and his thick jacket, he gently smacked his lips to make Cayenne set off in a brisk walk to warm her up. An electric lantern hung from her saddle on the one side, and Rhett held another in his hand on the opposite side - raising it every once in a while to see clearer. 

Suddenly, Rhett’s mare came to a halt, her head held high as her ears clipped nervously, before focusing on being pointed straight ahead. A millisecond of fear rushed through Rhett, and his spine straightened subconsciously to ready himself to be bucked off should Cayenne spook. It was cold out, and he knew any old horse could get fresh in the winter cold - but Cayenne even more so. 

“What do you see, girl?” Rhett grumbled out loud, squinting into the distance to try to catch sight of what his mare had already seen. There, in the distance, a soft red light could be seen dancing against the treeline in the darkness of the morning.

Rhett knew his father had let some crazy girl stay on one of the pastures during the summer, but surely it wasn’t this pasture. Rhett couldn’t help the annoyed sigh that tumbled from his lips as he spurred Cayenne on, wondering briefly if he made a mistake in leaving their firearms at home. No, he figured he was a fair enough talker to be able to manage should things get hostile. 

As he neared the figure by the fire, he squinted to try to see any features in the dark. Cayenne let out a welcoming neigh into the silence, which was answered by the buckskin that Rhett had missed. A very familiar buckskin… a smile began to play on his lips as he urged Cayenne to go faster the last bit. 

“Sunshine,” Rhett breathed out, his small smile having turned into a surprised grin. You were sat by a small fire, a tonne of blankets around you and beside you, a thermos laying beside you and a steaming cup held between your hands as the light of the fire danced over your features. You looked beautiful. 

“Hey there cowboy,” you replied, small smile and heavenly voice welcoming him into the warmth. “I’ve checked the cattle for you. Made sure they had enough to eat and drink,” gesturing to the spot beside you, you continued softly “Come. You must be cold. I brought us some breakfast,” the softness of your voice, paired with the look in your eyes had Rhett weak in his knees as he swung his leg over his mares back, to land on the frozen solid ground with a wince. 

“What are you doing out here in the cold, sweetheart?” Rhett murmured as he sat close to you, his jean clad thigh brushing against yours as you draped your thick blanket around his shoulder. As your arm was slung over his back, you stole a chaste kiss from his cold lips, making his already red cheeks even more flushed. 

“Figured you’d be the one to tend the animals today,” you said, a small, sad smile on your lips. It wasn’t pity that swirled in your eyes, but a look of devotion and admiration. A look that took Rhetts’ breath away. 

“And I didn’t want you to be alone on Christmas morning,” you continued, gaze flitting down to the fire you had started some time ago. “I missed you,” your soft whisper almost echoed through the mountains, shaking Rhett to his core.

Every time you confessed any of these feelings towards him, it took everything in him not to let tears seep from his eyes. It was almost overwhelming how freely you shared your love for him, with him. It made him dizzy to think that someone could care as deeply as he cared. 

Rhett inhaled a shaky breath, tilting the hat that was set firmly on his head a little back before burying his face into the warm patch of skin that was exposed at your neck. Tears were burning in his eyes, and he didn’t want you to see him cry.

Cry because you loved him. Cry because you cared enough to meet him out there, when he hadn’t even asked - when he never expected you to. Cry because you were the only one who he felt truly appreciated him as he was. 

“Oh, Rhett… baby,” you murmured, your hand finding the hairs at the nape of his neck, curling your fingers around the soft strands. 

“Merry Christmas, my love… even though I would hate to see you cry, you have to remember that it’s always okay to let go with me. I can carry some of it, too,” you whispered softly in his ear as you sat in a close embrace.

The words made Rhett inhale sharply, before the tears that burned in his eyes slowly rolled down his cheeks. He felt shame burning in the pit of his stomach, and the urge to clear his throat and bottle it up was so strong - but he knew he couldn’t anymore. He couldn’t shrug it off. He needed to let himself feel, and you had time and time again proved that you thought the world of him when he did. 

Some time went by, you holding him as the weight seemed to roll off his shoulders - years of tension suddenly easing out of his body - almost as if it leaked out of his ocean eyes. After a small hiccup, Rhett sat up to gaze into your eyes, a sheepish smile adorning his handsome face. 

“There he is,” you murmured fondly, reaching out to softly swipe away the remainder of the wet tears that lingered on his cheeks. 

“Merry Christmas, sunshine… you have no idea how much all of this means to me,” he confessed, looking at the effort you had made to meet him so early that the sun hadn’t yet managed to permeate the horizon. You smiled softly, reaching over to the weaved basket on your side, pulling out the breakfast you had prepared, along with some pastries you had spent yesterday evening baking for the two of you to enjoy. 

“You mean the world to me, Rhett. It’s as easy as that,” you smiled, offering him a steaming cup of hot cocoa. The two of you sat in silence for a while, before you leant closer to him, relishing in the way you could feel his sturdy chest through all of his clothing. His lips pressed against the top of your head, and you could feel as he inhaled your scent, further relaxing into your embrace. 

Tilting your head up, you softly nudged at his jawline with your nose, a soft noise between a whine and a hum vibrating in your throat. Rhett tilted his face towards you, and his soft smile could barely be seen before his slips connected with yours in a deep kiss - his free hand gently cupping the side of your face before it traveled to rest in your hair and on your neck.

“God, I love you,” Rhett groaned between kisses, his words rolling onto yours as he took your bottom lip between his teeth, pulling softly as a breathy whine left you. His tongue softly caressed your own before he leant his forehead against yours, eyes closed as he continued breathlessly

“I can’t wait until I can have a home with you. I’ll love you so good. Take care of you, I promise… I promise I’ll cherish you every day,” the end of the sentence almost came out pleading, as if he was scared you would disappear if he uttered his vulnerable words.

It only made your heart swell, as tears burned in your eyes now, a happy smile on your face as you rested your hand against his cheek as the light of the fire illuminated and danced over his handsome features. 

“I can’t wait to share my life with you, either. You always take good care of me, Rhett. Always make me feel so safe and loved,” the end of your sentence was accentuated with the soft kiss you pressed to his lips. 

Rhett smiled, and as the two of you sat in silence for a little while longer, waiting for the fire to burn out and pack the Christmas morning breakfast up, he figured this was probably the best Christmas he could ever remember having.

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eek!! hope you liked this little short one! please let me know what you thought?<3

tagging people who might like; @lt-bradshaw @rhettabbotts @rassvetsky @roleycoleyland @theharddeck @sebsxphia @floyd-luvr @mothdruid @hangmanapologist

#rhett abbott x reader #rhett abbott x you #rhett abbott fanfiction #rhett abbott imagine #rhett abbott #my writing #rhett abbott fluff

[fortheloveoffanfic]

Mr. Gallagher and Me

Jim x Reader

Masterlist Playlist Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Summary: Y/n and Jim have their interviews as part of the university's investigation into their relationship, followed by a run-in with Emily. Then, when Y/n doubts their relationship, Jim tries to prove how committed he is. Warnings- a smidge of angst

Mid March “How long have you been involved with Mr. Gallagher?” The woman, her name was Joann, asked, quickly clarifying, “Romantically, of course.”

Swallowing thickly, Y/n picked at her fingernails, keeping her hands clasped in her lap. “About….a year. Yeah, a year.”

Joann scribbled something on the form she was keeping under close guard in a bright red binder. “Okay,” she suspired, “And how did you….” She gestured in a circle with her pen, “Become involved.”

“I asked him out,” Y/n responded without hesitation, willingly neglecting to mention that their agreement had initially been to go out as friends. Sometimes-not that morning-it made her chuckle; one platonic date had somehow led to getting pregnant and looking at houses together.

“And he agreed to go out with a student under his supervision, just like that?” Shit. 

With a sigh, she nervously reached for her glass of water on the desk, bringing it to her rosy lips in a slow sip that she hoped would remedy the sudden dryness in her throat. Since a lie by omission hadn’t worked, she’d have to find a way to use the truth. “No,” Y/n took another sip of her water, “We agreed to go out as friends at first. But I never wanted to be friends, so I….invited him back to my apartment.”

“To have sex?” Y/n gasped at her bluntness, though, she supposed that it was pretty obvious that they were in fact very intimate.

“Well, I obviously didn’t suggest it just like that, but it was implied, yes,” she determined firmly. And when Joann asked if Jim had agreed, Y/n’s answer a brief one, and that time, she omitted the bit about actually going back to his place instead that night-it didn’t seem relevant anyway. 

“Would you say that there’s a power imbalance in your relationship with Mr. Gallagher?”

“Imbalance?” Y/n scoffed, “No, I wouldn’t.”

“Would you care to elaborate?” Joann sighed, practically trying to siphon anything she could out of her with a cocktail straw, “There have never been any situations where you felt like Mr. Gallagher used his authority over you to control certain aspects of your relationship?”

Sighing heavily, Y/n begrudgingly relented, “Jim and I……I was in a really bad relationship before I came to Ireland. His name is probably in your file,” she gestured to one of the folders next to Joann’s binder, “He was…” Y/n shook her head and furrowed her brows, just as the bitter memories threatened to burn her eyes, “Controlling, and manipulative. There were a lot of things that I wouldn’t have done if we’d stayed together. I actually came here to get away from him," briefly,she glanced down at her lap before looking at Joann again. "The point is, I know what a power imbalance looks like, and there has never been one in my relationship with Jim; he has always been patient and kind and supportive. I don’t think I ever realized what it was like to be in a healthy relationship until we got together.” 

After making a few other notes on her page, Joann studied Y/n for a moment, and just when she thought it was over, the smartly dressed HR official asked a question that surprisingly, threw her for a loop; “What was Mr. Gallagher’s reaction to your pregnancy?” 

Smoothing her hands over her burgeoning bump, Y/n felt a patter of strong kicks against her palms, the sensation making it hard to restrain her faint smile. But she managed. “He was angry,” she began honestly, “But not because I was-am-pregnant. He was mad because I wasn’t going to tell him, well, I wasn’t gonna tell him that he’s the father. Which was wrong, I get that. But I also didn’t want something like this,” she gestured between herself and the middle aged woman,  “To happen. I was trying to protect him. But he didn’t want that and he was mad because he couldn’t stand the thought of me, or our daughter,” she ducked her head for a moment, glancing absently at her stomach, then lifting her head again,  “Thinking that he didn’t love us enough to risk it.” 

After that, came questions pertaining to their living arrangements and whether or not Jim had been involved in her pregnancy. With complete truthfulness, Y/n responded quickly, eager to just get the interview over with. She hated that their relationship had come under fire, and she hated even more that it was in such a scandalous way. When the interrogation was through, Y/n pushed herself out of the chair, ignoring Joann’s offer to answer any questions that she had, instead eagerly heading for the door.  

As expected, Jim was seated in one of the uncomfortable chairs that lined the opposing side of the hallway, with her coat draped on one of his thighs and her handbag settled in his lap. “Hey,” he stood quickly, gathering her things in one arm so he could use his free hand to affectionately cup her cheek, his thumb quickly swiping away a stray tear, “How’d it go? Are you okay?” His concern was overwhelmingly evident and the fact that he cared that much made Y/n want to cry even more. 

“Yeah,” Y/n sniffled, relenting easily when Jim’s arm slid over her shoulder and around to the back of her neck so he could pull her in for a hug. “I’m just glad its over, you know?”

“I know, sweetheart,” he kissed the crown of her head, “Now we’ve just gotta wait. It’s gonna be over before you know it.

Sniffing quietly, she circled her arms around his mid, holding him as close as her bump would allow, “I just hope it works out,” she sighed, eventually pulling away so their  eyes could meet. 

“It will,” he promised, as if he could already tell, and even if he couldn’t Y/n found herself willing to believe Jim anyway. She trusted him. Of course, she was still upset about everything that had happened that morning, especially since some of the more unscrupulous accusations had stuck- she knew that they weren’t true, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t bothered. 

How could they accuse him of something like that?

How could they accuse her of something like that? 

“Come on,” he eventually encouraged, breaking their embrace in favor of helping Y/n into her coat and then taking her hand to lead her out of the building. 

With their fingers laced, they strolled towards the elevator; neither of them thought that it mattered if they hid on campus anymore, anyone that was important knew and they were already in trouble anyway, so it couldn’t possibly get worse. It was actually very freeing, being able to be together without having to look over their shoulders and while Y/n was still terribly scared of what their futures might hold, she was happy that at the very least, they could share little moments without hiding, like regular couples.

The elevator had taken a while before it got to their floor, though, when the doors slid open, Y/n gasped loudly. She’d have actually preferred if it would have taken longer if she’d known she was going to be face to face with her. Inhaling deeply, Y/n took an unconscious step back and she felt Jim’s grip on her hand tighten protectively. “Emily,” she gritted.

“Y/n, Mr. Gallagher,” she nodded to them both, maintaining her usual snark, then, with a purposeful sigh, she inched closer and offered; “You think you’re doing yourself a favor,” she met Y/n’s hardened gaze with sharp, dagger eyes, “But you’re not, this isn’t over yet.”

Before Y/n could respond, Jim was guiding her away from Emily, though not before stepping close to her ear, and hissing angrily, “Yes, it is.” That was all he’d offered, though the venom in his tone was crippling. With that, they stepped into the elevator and simultaneously, Emily stepped out.  As they slunk into the elevator, and the doors closed, Jim hit the appropriate button and then asked if she was okay. Y/n had promised that she was, and while it did take a couple more rounds, she was eventually able to placate him. 

“They must be interviewing her today too,” Y/n eventually sighed, side stepping closer to Jim so she could lean her head against his side while he brought an arm around the small of her back, “What do you think she’ll say?”

Jim scoffed, “Probably the worst things she can think of.” The entire experience had been so profoundly upsetting that all Y/n could think of was getting home and crawling back into bed, preferably to sleep away the memories of what had felt like a police interrogation. “Hey,” he smoothed his palm over her back as they eventually emerged from the building, after she’d lapsed into contemplative silence once more, “Do you want to talk about what happened up there?”

Y/n sighed, “No? Yes…..I don’t know,” she shook her head and Jim cuddled her closer as the crossed the walkway, headed towards the parking lot, “You’re probably right, it’ll work out,” she bent her head, regarding the wet, weather-worn asphalt as they walked. It had rained all night into the wee hours of that morning, and while the weather had mostly taken a turn for the better, some gray-ish clouds had still lingered and the occasional puddle had them walking in zig-zags.

“Yeah,” he kissed the top of her head, “But that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to be upset about it,” Jim sighed, getting his keys out of his coat pocket, he pressed the button that would disengage the alarm and unlock the car. They went to the passenger side first, where Jim opened the door for Y/n and helped her inside. Seconds later, he rounded the car and slipped into his own seat, holding off on starting the car in hopes that she’d open up. 

“I just….I know its not true, but I guess it made me think about everything my parents…” But specifically her mother, “Said. She asked…..if I felt like you got me pregnant on purpose. Obviously I said no, and reminded her that you didn’t even want any more kids before this. And then she asked….” Sighing again, Y/n shook her head, “She asked if I got pregnant on purpose to…..make you stay with me and get me favors at the university,” Joann’s words had actually been far more professional but they had pretty much the same meaning. 

Picking at the hem of her blouse, Y/n shook her head, “I know that you’re all in and we've talked about this so many times, but you don’t feel like I did this on purpose, right?”

“Of course not!” Shifting in his seat, Jim reached for her face, “I know you and I know you wouldn’t…..baby trap me," he cringed, seeming uncomfortable with the term- or maybe just the thought that she would do that. "Look,” he sighed, “She asked me the same thing; if I thought you got pregnant on purpose and there was no doubt in my mind when I said ‘no.’ I know little Jellybean was an accident,” he chuckled softly and she flashed him a brief, watery smile, “The happiest accident of my life.”

“And you never felt pressured to do….anything that you have for me because of the baby? I know you said you’re excited and we’ve been talking about buying a house and god,” she scoffed, barely keeping her emotions at bay, “You’ve been so amazing. But you’re so nice; I don’t want you to lose everything and then look back on things one day and realize that the only reason you did any of this is because you feel like you had to.”

Licking his lips, Jim’s blue eyes dimmed sympathetically and he used his thumbs to brush her hot tears away. His lips quivered and he seemed at a loss for words at first, until he eventually offered, “Even without this job, I do have everything. I have my kids- all three of them,” he chuckled softly, rousing another smile, “I have the woman I love,” he shrugged, “That’s everything to me.” 

“But I just-”

“Shh,” he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers. Easily, Y/n responded, lifting one hand to cup his neck. “Marry me,” he elicited softly when they broke for air, foreheads still close together. 

“What?” She knitted her brows, both confused and startled by his impromptu proposal. She wasn’t even sure if she’d heard him right. 

Jim chuckled, pulling away, “I can't think of a better way to show you that I’m choosing our life-not being forced into it- than giving you this ring,” after a moment of rummaging through his pocket, he produced a little, forest green, leather box with a tiny clasp holding it closed, “That I’ve been carrying around everyday since Valentine’s Day.” As she opened her mouth to protest, Jim intervened, “I didn’t buy this ring for just anybody, Y/n. I don’t wanna buy a house or have a baby with just anybody. Marry me, let me show you that I mean that, everyday.”

Sniffling, she nodded, “I’d love to marry you.” When Jim flicked the box open, revealing a stunning, elegantly  dainty ring, she gasped. It was the most beautiful engagement ring she’d ever seen; an oval diamond fitted to thin, gold, Celtic diamond encrusted bands. With shaking hands, he slipped the ring onto the appropriate finger, the cool metal  making her skin tingle. “I…..” She sighed, gaze flickering between the ring and Jim while a flood of conflicting emotions overwhelmed her. Y/n was overjoyed to be engaged, she  was still scared for their future at Trinity and now she was both embarrassed and frustrated with herself for doubting Jim once again. It wasn’t fair that she kept doubting him, not when he’d been nothing short of a product of her wildest dreams. “Ugh,” she sniffed, and Jim once again reached over to brush her tears away, “I’m sorry I keep….” Y/n shook her head and rolled her bleary eyes, “I keep doubting you. It must be so annoying,” she scoffed, still upset with herself, “I’m acting like such a baby.”

Leaning across, Jim kissed both of her tear stained cheeks before capturing her lips, “You’re not,” he promised, “Its been a rough few weeks and the way you feel could never be annoying to me.”

Y/n chortled softly through the tears, “I swear its the baby’s fault,” then, when Jim laughed off her comment, Y/n took a moment to let the events of the last fifteen minutes or so sink in, a brighter smile creeping to her cheeks, “We’re getting married,” she laughed. 

Jim grinned broadly, “We are,” he caught her lips again in an impassioned endearment, “Why don’t we go for lunch to celebrate, whatever you want.”

“Uh….pizza?” She suggested, without even giving it a second thought. 

“You wanna celebrate getting engaged with pizza?” He chuckled, eventually settling into his seat and getting the car started, “We had pizza last night,” and the day before, for lunch- Jellybean had recently decided that pizza was the only thing worth eating. 

Pouting as she got her seat belt buckled, Y/n glanced over at Jim, “We can get something else, you’re probably sick of it.” 

“Eh,” he shook his shoulders, smoothly backing out of the parking spot then shifting gears before turning towards the exit, “I did say whatever you wanted,” and maintaining one hand on the wheel, Jim reached over and touched the top of her stomach, “And my girls want pizza, so we’re having pizza.” 

Laughing softly, she shook her head, the worries she’d had earlier slowly fading to the back of her mind. They’d still creep out every now and then, until she and Jim were given the concrete results of the investigation, but in that moment, Y/n much preferred just enjoying the rest of their day as a newly engaged couple. 

After a very full day, and an evening spent at a local restaurant with his kids to announce their engagement, Y/n and Jim had opted to retire earlier than usual that night. Though, the prospect of sleep, despite the two of them being bone tired, was not immediate; she still wanted to video call with Elaine to share the exciting news and Jim had been adamant on upholding his promise to read to their daughter every night- that night, they were on chapter three of  Black Beauty. 

As Jim laid propped on his elbow, face close to her stomach and glasses slid down to his nose a bit, he held the book open in front of him, occasionally reeling it in closer to his chest so he could lean over and kiss her stomach. Meanwhile Y/n was slouched against a mass of pillows packed against the headboard, her phone resting on the swell of her cute bump as she waited for Elaine to pick up the call. 

“Hey mama!” She beamed as she answered, and by the looks of her background, Y/n could tell that her friend was sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen of the apartment that they formerly shared, “What’s up? I saw your text about big news when I was about to leave the hospital.

“Oh it’s nothing,” Y/n waved dramatically, ensuring the camera picked up on her subtle- but still obvious-  show of  the gorgeous ring. “I just-”

“Wait,” Elaine cut her off, “Was that a rock on your finger? Let me see it!” She demanded enthusiastically. Biting back a fit of bubbly laughter, Y/n raised her left hand in front of the phone, properly displaying her engagement ring that time. “Oh. My. God!” Elaine squealed after a few seconds spent staring at it, “No way, No. Way! When? How? Where? Tell me everything.” Shifting against the pillows to get more comfortable, all while Jim read softly, with his lips close to her stomach, Y/n threaded her fingers through his hair while recounting the story to Elaine.

The more she thought about it, the more Y/n adored Jim’s proposal- with the exception of her spell of insecurity towards the beginning- it was everything she could want in a proposal. Quiet, casual and private. No fuss, no people around them clapping and asking if they wanted pictures taken, no huge grand gesture that cost way too much, just Jim promising to love her for the rest of their lives and her, saying that she’d do the same. 

“Ugh,” Elaine moaned and pouted, “That is so cute! Is he there? Don’t lie to me, I can hear him reading,” she teased, and laughing softly, Y/n turned the phone so Elaine could talk to Jim, “Hi baby daddy!” 

Jim chuckled, propping himself a little higher on his elbow while resting the book, open to his current page, face down on the bed behind him. “Hi Lainey,” he grinned, shaking his head, “You’d think I’d be more than ‘baby daddy’ after today.”

“Oh no, you’ve gotta marry her first. Then maybe, I’ll reconsider. But you did good with the ring,” she praised, 

“Thanks,” he laughed. They didn’t talk for very long, but as usual, it was nice knowing that two people that were so important to her could get along so easily, When Y/n turned the phone back, She and Elaine chatted for a while again, before something in the background beeped, presumably the oven, and Y/n yawed, a tell tale sign that it was time to shut everything off. They said good byes and exchanged ‘I love you’s and by the time they were through and Y/n was shifting to put her phone down, Jim was also marking the page of his book. 

“I think she likes this one,” he noted causally, kissing her bump before scooting up towards his pillow. 

“She likes everything that you read to her,” Y/n giggled, still propped against the mass of pillows behind her. Then, smoothing her hands over her stomach, she added, “She just loves hearing her daddy.”

Jim grinned broadly, “She’s a daddy’s girl already- I love it.” When she started sifting lower, Jim helped her get her collection of pillows organized; a couple under her head, one framing her stomach and another between her legs, joking at some point that there were more pillows on the bed than people.

“She needs a name,” he declared after they’d turned off the lights and got settled in their usual spooning position; her back pressed to his chest when one of his arms remained draped over her middle.

“She has a name,” Y/n noted sleepy, resting one hand over his. 

“We call her Jellybean. She needs a real name…..like Eleanor.”

“Or Sarah,” Y/n countered. She actually hadn’t given very much thought to a name since she’d gotten pregnant, but always had a few names stowed away in her mind that she simply liked– none of them was Eleanor. 

Jim emitted a soft sound of disagreement, “Or…..something that’s not Sarah.”

Y/n scoffed through a yawn, “You don’t like Sarah?”

“Well, it doesn’t exactly sound like you like Eleanor.” 

“Touche,” she chortled softly, yawning, "I am too tired to talk about this,” Y/n declared not long after, shutting her eyes. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, sweetheart,” he kissed the back of her head, then added, “Goodnight Eleanor.”

“Jim!” Y/n warned firmly, eyes still shut. 

She could hear his grin when he corrected himself, “Fine. Goodnight Jellybean.” 

#cillian murphy #cillian murphy x reader #cillian murphy fanfic #cillian x reader #the delinquent season #jim x reader #mr. gallagher and me

[fugamsemidei]

"We met here, for starters. It's not a very long story, really." Says Honey, expression sobering a little. "Though...like most here, it doesn't start the happiest, necessarily."

"She and Nobone had belonged to humans before arriving here. I...felt like I couldn't connect with them, initially, being wild my whole life. We were few in number here, back then; I had so few I could relate to. All the others who'd been there back then have moved on, now."

"I'd....never seen a Pokemon so spiteful and angry before, and to this day I think that's still an unbroken record, haha." He laughs a bit at the memory. "She was so intense, I didn't really know how to approach her at first. She seemed to be here begrudgingly, almost. Glaring at any who offered her aid."

"But I'm not really one to back down from someone in need, no matter how bitter the gaze."

"I....realized that our feelings, different as they were, came from the same place." Honey explains. "She was so, so angry, while I hadn't given myself the space to feel that way about my own loss. But I saw myself in her all the same."

"I told her that humans had taken my daughter, too. She hadn't expected me to say that, and the surprise calmed her down. She apologized for snapping. We had something in common, and it got us talking."

He smiles fondly. "And....over time, after that we just kept spending time together. She told me later that she'd felt like I had in the beginning: like none of the others really could relate to her situation. That me showing up was a wake-up call that being bitter towards the others was pointless, and holding her back from recovering."

"It wasn't just one interaction and we felt better, of course. It took a long time to work our way up to being as comfortable around each other as we are. But I'd say now that she's the best thing that happened to me, the most important Pokemon in my life since I lost my daughter."

"N-not to say the kids we care for here don't count!" He quickly clarifies. "They absolutely do, and we love them dearly. But...after everything that happened to us...we finally feel ready to raise a kid again. Not that we have any idea how to have one that's both of ours in a biological sense. But we'll figure it out! Either way I'm excited."

(( @asktidethegastrodon ))

#fugamsemidei #asktidethegastrodon #Pokemon ask blog #Pokeaskblog #Honey Goodra #Goodra #Tide Gastrodon #Gastrodon #Paleo Silvally #Silvally #Knalla Smeargle #Smeargle #My art #Story

[grimfutureau]

Dtk and azrael headcannons? I’m so invested in this AU ❤️

OF COURSE!

most of my individual/general dtk headcanons are probably somewhere here

Az:

he really likes pirates and follows that fashion aesthetic (in the way that Kid has a sort of cowboy theme)

he can manifest wings

physically cannot lie (he's a worse liar than Maia)

extremely artistic

dyslexic

has an emotional support animal named Cerberus. Maia picked her up from an alley and took her home for Azrael. Cerberus is a Cornish Rex and Amelia's bitter enemY

Cerberus and Az also have a strong soul bond and Cerberus can manifest into a giant three-headed cat. He forms a sort of psychic link with her because yeah he can do that

he's got a pair of symmetrical freckles under each eye

A skeptic

Blindly obedient

(idk if we've posted any coloured Az drawings) His eyes are gold like Kid's but the third eye is red

Just in case we didn't clarify, he has the power of premonition

Loves honey! Probably his favourite food/flavour

Will probably duo wield Amelia and Maia at some point. They both end up as Death Scythes but I don't think he fights with them often

Oh yeah he doesn't do much combat

Freaks Amelia out sometimes

If Az has a nightmare he goes to Maia who will probably have one as well and they both do a sad middle night march to Amelia's room and she begrudgingly lets them crash there

Gets annoyed when Amelia smokes (doesn't like the smell)

cries a lot

can't swim

Likes to sit with Tsubaki and watch the rain in silence. She makes him tea with honey

doesn't talk a lot

Kid and Az:

can sense each other's emotions? similar to how Maia is sensitive to Soul's emotions but not quite the same

VERY IMPORTANT!! Azrael will hide in Kid's cape

They don't talk much to each other. They'll usually just sit in comfortable silence. Kid sometimes will talk to him about what he knows and that's probably how Azrael learns. Just by listening and observing

Azrael's hair is curlier than Kid's but he still has the matching (iconic) cowlick mullet thing at the nape of his neck

They look almost exactly alike, except Azrael has an extra freckle, different hair texture and sanzu lines, and the third eye

Azrael reacts more emotionally than Kid does, more like what Kid was like as a child but they have different anxieties

I imagine Azrael is good at the more functional aspects of Kid's job (planning, documentation, surveillance, protection) but struggles a little more with the diplomacy and the power parts of it all

Kid hides Azrael's existence from the public for a bit for a couple reasons. First because Azrael started out pretty rough with the whole necromancy witch situation, and he needs time to recover and adjust. Second because he was concerned that people would react adversely because his origins are associated with Morgana's Asura drama, and because of his appearance (Asura eye). Third because Kid probably wanted time to process everything

Death City tends to have mixed opinions on Azrael but Kid always defends him fiercely (and if that doesn't work Maia and Black Star go and throw some punches)

#se grim future au #terrible things au #tt asks #terriblethings lore

[rin-hanarin]

Some random dirkjohn ideas/headcanons, I realized that I've never written anything down despite having a lot of scenarios I can't really elaborate any further. Mostly fluff.

Dirk finds John's random temper tantrums hilarious and entertaining, but has to reassure him that these rants aren't annoying afterwards. He likes seeing John's genuine sides, even if John himself is ashamed of them.

John likes seeing Dirk in the morning after he actually has a good night's sleep because it's his most natural relaxed state. Dirk is disheveled and groggy, his hair is longer when it's down so it sticks out in every direction, he has marks from the sheets on his skin and his morning voice is deep and raspy and sounds like growling sometimes. There's nothing artificial about him and John likes it the most (plus he appreciates that Dirk trusts him enough to even show him this side.)

Dirk can tell random specific stuff about John, for example, he can tell when he loses or gains weight and creeps him the fuck out with the idea. Dirk is generally very observant, and he can’t stop trying to figure out everything about John. John teases him for it, but in actuality he’s very flustered by such pure interest, he’s never considered himself to be particularly exceptional or worth studying in such detail.

John secretly uses his Breath powers to clean the air in Dirk's house and increase the amount of oxygen in it. Dirk's sleeping patterns improve despite his dramatic complaints that he feels like shit in the morning. John never tells him, but Dirk has his suspicions because sometimes it's too much oxygen and he gets clocked out too fast.

John makes very strong tea or coffee to keep himself awake, and Dirk is wired for the longest time after he tries some of his brews. He jokes that he thought that Jade was the witch and not John with his wicked elixirs.

John doesn't like sweets, but he's not terrible at baking and only lacks practice, which is surprising even to himself. He begrudgingly asks Jane if Dirk has any favorites so he can maybe possibly but not definitely learn how to make some for him. Jane finds it endearing despite having second thoughts about their relationship in general. John and Jane bond over baking, and John even shares some stories about his Dad after years of avoiding the topic. Dirk doesn't have favorites, he likes trying new things, especially sweets he didn't have many chances to try. John ends up not being satisfied with his baking endeavors and asks Jane to not tell Dirk about what happened, despite Jane's best attempts to reassure him that they were fine, maybe not very sweet, but completely fine. She secretly adds some finishing touches and gives the sweets to Dirk anyway. He has no idea and just assumes that Jane is experimenting with flavors and that's why some of the cakes are distinctly more bitter.

John teaches Dirk how to play the piano and some basic music theory he knows, and Dirk shows him music programs, explaining the tools in a way that makes John laugh instead of paying attention. They end up trying to make music together and spend hours just fooling around with silly remixes. John actually gives Dirk some improvised piano samples and is very impressed with what he’s able to do with them, but doesn’t tell him that so it doesn’t get to his head. Their actual project would be a calm song with emphasis on the piano because Dirk doesn't want to overshadow what John has to offer (something like this)

Dirk is a warmer person, he doesn't get cold easily, so he often wears short sleeved shirts and tank tops, but he hates the cold and the snow and never really gets used to it. John's hands are constantly cold, but he doesn't really care about the cold itself and wears oversized long sleeved shirts mostly out of preference. Dirk likes to use the cold as an excuse to hug him for warmth, John half-heartedly complains, but hugs him back anyway, both pretend that they don’t just hug for the sake of it.

Dirk could've just built himself an air conditioner, but it never occurs to John who just abuses his Windy Thing at all times and just uses it when it's too hot and doesn't really mind being cuddled when it's cold. Dirk knows that and sneakily uses it for his benefit. He has an heir conditioner instead.

#dirkjohn #johndirk #hs #john egbert #dirk strider #headcanons #homestuck #dude i rotate them in my mind so much i might explode one day

[originemesis]

@tempteve from xxx

She had fought tirelessly against the constraints that sought to keep them apart, defying the very rules that dictated their existence. Yet, her efforts were met with disdain and skepticism, as if her very being was an affront to the heavenly order — an inconvenience begrudgingly tolerated. Now, allowed to remain in this circumstance, it all felt bittersweet — wrong in some inexplicable way, yet she couldn't deny the desperate need she harbored for it. His words cut through her, a stark reminder of the suffering he endured during her absence, and the weight of responsibility settled heavily upon her shoulders. It was all her doing. Every pain, every hardship — it was all her fault. Then, she noticed it — the new shard in his halo, emanating an ethereal glow. It acted as a palpable reminder of the irreversible changes that occurred. Tears welled in her eyes as the dam inside her started to crumble and crack under the pressure of her own inner turmoil. She turned away abruptly, stifling a sob that threatened to escape. A hand rose instinctively to cover her trembling mouth as tears streamed down her cheeks unchecked. Damn it all. This wasn't how it was supposed to unfold.

" Of course I wouldn't — " It was a struggle to maintain her composure, the lump in her throat choking her with an invisible hand. But she pressed on, determined to articulate the maelstrom of emotions swirling inside her, regardless of the pain it dredged up. " I won't deny it — I'm angry, Adam. So angry, " she confessed, voice barely above a whisper. " But more than anything, I'm just... tired. " Her fingers dug into her thighs. She didn't want him to see her like this, but once the floodgates opened, there was no stemming the tide. " Eden was my home — it is still my home, " she continued, “ You were able to return freely, however brief, while I remained trapped. It's not fair. " Who was she really saying that to ? " I felt you tear apart a piece of Eden, " words laced with bitterness at this admission. " I wanted to lash out at you, to make you feel the pain I felt. But I knew... I knew it wouldn't change anything. ” In the end, she realized she didn't truly want to harm him; it was just her wrath speaking in the heat of the moment. "At one point, I even thought I was mad about the proposal. I - I don’t know, but it’s not even that. It's just... everything. Everything is shit ! " The outburst flew from her lips to unleash a torrent of pent-up frustration and anguish. Yet, as the words hung heavy in the air, she felt a pang of regret, her shoulders slumping. There was nothing left but despondence when the fire within had been extinguished. " I don't even know why I came here. I’m sorry. " All her fault. All her fault.

There was a time he'd wondered what heaven's ultimate end goal could possibly be in keeping him and Eve apart after so readily tossing them both out on their asses to build the current booming foundation of their balancing operation. Of course it had always been an abstract idea up until they'd taken him back in patting their own backs like they were so merciful in doing so when they'd been the ones to throw him away in the first place. In a way, Eve had gotten the better living arrangement. At least it wasn't built on a false pretense - a list of hastily scribbled rules on why he could remain when it was clear the reason why wasn't spelled out in ink.

Considering the recent changes at the embassy with allowing the human born of their own mascot's rib occasional visitation after he'd gone and sprung from the depths of his festered loneliness within a golden storm of his full potential realized under the support beam of an army lieutenant after they'd left him without his original version for so long? It smelled of something... curated. Designed to knock him back into place because the higher ups couldn't stand the concept of taking control of one's destiny- a concept which only came about because of their insistence upon Eden's so-called sanctity.

Feeling her gaze heavy on his brow as if she'd only just noticed the insufferably bright shard added to his halo dwarfing the other two in its orbit in comparison if not in size- than by light. Its shine made the largest look most like an unpolished stone while the other, smaller version of a gem cut in half still held the faintest glimmer of hope within its roughly cut edges, Adam winced. Particularly because her gaze was not so particularly piercing as it was wet.

"Aw, c'mon. It's not like yours isn't there...too?" An exasperated sigh issued him to shift into the stiff fibers of his muscles that had certainly spent too much time on the floor the past few weeks. Lute would wing beat his ass back into the first stage of his recovery period if she had even a sinking suspicion he'd moved more than five inches without her direct supervision. "It's just...y'know- inactive?" A shrug upon sitting up helped him hunch over and anchor himself with a palm pressed firmly to the floor- he'd need it the way his side was now throbbing with the way she was carrying on about the state of his affairs. "I mean hell, seems like a well earned retirement in your case. Less of my shit to put up with and all." Unlike her, he saw the forest for the trees...just not how they wilted until it started affecting his horizons.

Her bare whispers cause the edges of his feathers to fan out against the floor, bracing for what could possibly be a storm born out of the hushed calm that always proceeded them. " I'd say that makes two of us, but we both know you weigh about as much as one rib in this never-ending math equation heaven's got going for itself." Not that the quaver in her tone doesn't twist that old instinct in him like a dagger to just...curl around her and rudely flick the tears out of her eyes one by one, but at this point he knew doing so wouldn't solve anything. Though the root of bitterness was not lost on his senses, and for a moment he felt a fit of frustration as she stood by scolding him like she wasn't the carrot the sides of the universe had been dangling in front of him all along until he'd simply gotten sick of it and found something else to sink his teeth into.

"Oh, I ripped it a new one all right." He wasn't supposed to get up, but was forcing himself now that she was getting worked up. His side ached too much when she pulled that shit to just keep sat still. Having to catch himself on his arm once when the first few attempts to roll up failed, he'd emit a goose-like hiss and grab the wall instead, pulling himself up into his height with one wing arched expertly up for some modesty around his waist. "And you wanna know what? I'd do it again. Because fuck Eden!" What did that place ever do for either of them anyway except make them realize what it really meant to be thrown away? His outburst, unlike hers- was not without consequence.

"Agh-shit...!" His side was throbbing again, sharper than before. It caused him to slump back heavily against the wall with his finger pads wrung deep between the grooves of his ribs.

Why was she here? "Just to be your regular thorn in my side self, it's looking like."

#//he had his stick it to eden moment now he's like i dont know her- (eden) lol #//sorry for the rambles~ #tempteve #long post #suggestive cw

[honey-tongue]

Hm, yeah I kinda realized I've never really made a special post talking about Jodi. Here she is!

She's my very special loser lesbian bunnygirl with a shitty retail job. She's pretty grumpy, likes appearing aloof, and is begrudgingly independent. Despite that, she's actually pretty lonely and miserable though, and has a hard time sorting and dealing with her emotions because her childhood has left her pretty bitter. Once you get around her rough edges though, if she lets you anyway, she's aggressively nice.

#ash says stuff #jodi #oc stuff

[salumial]

GIANT FIC INCOMING OF THE BAND GETTING BACK TOGETHER. Takes place three months after the episode “Bully-ieve It or Not”. This one’s called “Bittersweet.”

Time it’s been since I last saw Pesto:

Three months

And it’s felt very… weird. Unusual. I would see him almost every week, and be bombarded with dumb shit like him calling me an idiot or making fun of me in some way I’ve heard time after time. Or the other cases, the actually infuriating ones, like helping me and Linda out with some sort of advice, or… even saying something mostly kind. Because I could never really trust him with stuff, so who’s to say he wouldn’t be tricking me? The only time he’s ever done something I know he was doing both for himself AND technically for me was at that yacht thing. Every other time… I don’t know.

I mean, let’s say he was, I still don’t want to deal with someone constantly stealing my ideas, so it makes sense that the last time I spoke to him was telling him I don’t care anymore. It seals it off. Sets in stone, I’m done.

Right?

But I… not that it doesn’t feel great to not have someone doing all of that… it’s weird. It feels like something is missing, is it supposed to? We used to spy on eachother for hours, with the feelings of mutual hatred. But now… I’m catching myself looking over these last few weeks, and feeling… bittersweet. Mostly bitter. Which is so weird, because why? It doesn’t make sense to me. And I never told him he couldn’t just come over and say hi. I just feel like-

“You’re looking over there again.” Linda says, as I snap out of my dramatic tangent and back to the main menu.

“What, huh? I was?” I say, very much lying because I know damn well I was.

“Bob, yea, you were, very… depressing like.” She explains, as though this is something I’ve done before.

“Huh…weird.” I say with the squeak in my voice that shows I’m lying.

“…Bob,”

“What?” I turn to her dramatically anxious as I was about to slink into thought.

“…are you ok?” She asks, giving me her loving supportive look, as I give her one back.

“No, yea. I just…” …it’s been weeks, she’s noticed for a while now, I should tell her. “…I’ve been looking there for a while now, and I don’t know why!”

She looks at me and smiles, then looks to the other joint.

“…maybe you miss him.” As she says that my mind races,

Miss him? NO,

“NO, what? No.” I say fully offended by the idea. She scoffs at that,

“Oh really? Bob, you’ve been looking over there after a week of him not coming over.”

…what?

That long? I’ve been doing it that long?

“Really?” I ask, confused as she rolls her eyes lovingly.

“Yes, and I think, if you really do miss him…”

Oh, she’s gonna tell me to go talk to him, I know.

“…you should decide if you actually want to see him.”

…what?

“Wait, you’re not gonna encourage me to go over there?” I explain, bewildered and… secretly kind of annoyed, like if she did I could act like I begrudgingly don’t want to but… that isn’t an option. I have to decide- wait, hang on. I’m mad she isn’t tell me to? I WANT to?!

“No, that’s your business! I’d totally get if you don’t want to talk to him again.” She explains, as the thought of that… makes me extremely uncomfortable.

“…” I say nothing, as she just smiles.

I think she knows what I’m gonna do, although I’m not so sure myself.

“…I would think about it.” She says going into the kitchen, leaving me alone to stew in the decision…

…why would I want to be friends with him? Why do I miss him so much? Is it because it was comfortable? The same? And now us not talking is disrupting it? I remember though so clearly at the beginning of our rivalry not wanting to ever talk to him, wishing I didn’t have to. So… It can’t be that right? What is it?

…he was honestly… someone who did know me. Very well. I heard that he actually helped Linda and the kids with my 47th birthday… and gave them the idea to fix it up for me specifically.

And… he did tell me he was proud of me once. Genuine pride. Like, he actually teared up. I thought he was kidding. But maybe he wasn’t… maybe he does… care about me?

…

…man,

I miss the bastard, don’t I?

He was so annoying, but I remember it letting me get out steam, that had been in me for weeks on end.

Being able to yell and argue, get it all out, have pissing contests… maybe we can have that in a

healthy way.

…dammit. I miss him… I’ve got to go over there.

Jimmy POV:

“Jimmy?” Trev asked, trying to get my attention as I look over at Bob staring at my restaurant for the 100th time. I mean, why? What’s he being so nosy for, I thought he didn’t care about what I’m doing anymore.

…although I get it.

“Yea?” I ask kind of annoyed but trying to be nice.

“…do you mind if I ask… are you and Bob?…” he stops mid sentence for me to give the go ahead,

“…no speaking, yea.” I answer as he looks quizzically at Bob.

“…why is he?…” he asks, gesturing towards Bob eavesdropping.

“I don’t know. I really don’t. It’s perplexing me.” I say with a hint of drama, arms crossed as Trev chuckles.

“…maybe you should go ask?” NO.

“No? No no.” I say very defensively “There’s no way, he doesn’t care about anything I’m doing, so I’m returning the favor.”

“But… he does, he’s staring right at the restaurant.” He points out as I huff.

“Ok, yea, but he still decided he doesn’t want to talk to me.” I say, as Trev says,

“…no he didn’t. He said he wasn’t gonna let you get to him anymore.”

…

“…I’m gonna guess he meant both.” I assume as Trev rebuttals.

“How would you know? You haven’t asked him.”

I’m starting to get kind of mad, but am trying to be nice.

“I don’t think asking him if I should talk to him is the best idea, he already seems to want nothing to do with me.” I say with a hint of… bitterness.

Trev keeps on,

“Or maybe you haven’t tried.” He said that with such sassiness I couldn’t help but be a little mean.

“Ok, no, listen, if he doesn’t want to talk, he doesn’t have to, alright?” I say, as my annoyance starts to sound like anger.

“But how would you know?” Oh this is pissing me off.

“I do.” I lie.

“You can’t lie, c’mon man.” After he says that, I can’t hold back my anger as well I was because some sneaks out. I turn around to meet his face, but never make eye contact.

“I’m not lying, because I know he wants nothing to do with me! I wouldn’t blame him.” I express emotionally, not loud though because we’re in public but I say it with… bitterness. A lot of bitterness, man that’s gross.

…oh. Hey wait. That wasn’t supposed to come out. I wasn’t supposed to say that. The end of it.

Trev looks at me with a stunned look, which switches to one that… wait, hang on.

He looks like… that was his plan, which is why he was asking so many- GASP.

“You sneaky bastard!” I say, with a tint of joke so he knows I don’t necessarily mean to insult him. But I am super mad right now though…

“That’s how you feel about it, huh?” He says, with concern for me but also a smirk which pisses me off more.

“What are you, a therapist? Go away, will ya?” I say, as he smiles at me and accepts.

He walks into the kitchen as I’m stuck looking at Bob stare at the restaurant. It’s started to feel eerie, which is kinda funny to me because it’s Bob but something more frightening started to happen.

He started taking off his apron, and walking to his door. With his eyes still on the restaurant.

I start panicking immediately, speed walking to the kitchen making sure I keep an eye on him to see where he is.

“TREV!” I shout as Trev turns his head dramatically and starts walking to me.

“Yea what?!” He says, visibly taken aback.

“Bob is walking over, right now.” I panicked, as all the other workers I have started staring at me.

“…mind your business, everyone!” I shout with the same joke tint as they all start laughing to themselves. I love them, but they piss me off.

“Bob is coming over?” He asks, trying to match up with my nervousness. He fails, but I appreciate it.

“Yes, I need to hide, where should I go?” I ask extremely serious as he chuckles.

“You’re not gonna talk to him?”- he says, as he’s starting to look over at the wall window.

“NO, I’m not! I’m not, I’m hiding, where do I go?” As I ask the second time. I try to get his attention because its been taken by something in the window.

“Jimmy.” Trev says my name so numbly my nerves start to rattle, doesn’t help that he’s still… wait…

“What, what is?-“ I stop talking as I look through the window and see Bob. Sitting on the corner of the bar. Not even knowing I’m back here.

My anxiety SKYROCKETED UP.

“…oh NO NO NO- FUCK, where do I HIDE?” I ask whispering, hands at his shoulders as he looks at me annoyed.

“For the love of God, Jimmy this is your chance! Do you want to talk to him?” He asks me that so securely I forget I even was feeling anxiety. He’s never sounded so sure before, and he’s been plenty annoyed at me to points like this.

“…” I look at Bob, then him, then the ground, with the same worried expression as it turns to..

…relent. Because I know what I have to do, no need to be a wussy about it.

“…yes.” I say, eyes closed, completely giving up. My dignity doesn’t matter right now.

I have the chance. To fix this shit. I’m gonna.

“Then go go!” He says, patting me on the shoulder and pushing me out of the kitchen. Like PUSHING ME like a conveyer belt.

“AYE WHAT THE HELL!” I yell as I push back, “I can walk out myself.”

We are right next to the door.

“Alright go ahead.”

“I will.”

…

…

…

“…I just need a minu-“

He starts pushing me out of the door immediately, as I argue and push back. Damn he’s strong.

He pushes me out into Bob’s peripheral, as his hearing seems to notice my voice.

“Dammit, Trev!” I say, slamming my foot on the floor in anger, not realizing how stupid of an intro that was.

“Jimmy?”

Oh crap.

“Bob?- BOB!” I say, acting like I didn’t know he was already here. I put my game face on, but try not to say anything mean… as I start to think about how many times I’ve done that… no wonder he cut me off.

“Why’re you here?” I ask trying to sound neutral as he looks at me with…

Warmth? What the hell? He isn’t smiling or anything, he looks like he’s seeing… and old friend.

…it’s making me want to cry. I’m not gonna! But it’s feeling like that.

“I… well… uh…” he starts stutter, looking away with nervousness. What’s that about, what does he want to tell me?

…it’s taking a lot of me not to say something stupid. It’s kinda something I have to unlearn.

“…yea, what’s up?” I say, hoping that helps.

Instead of him saying anything, he just darts his eyes to me in surprise.

“Wait, you’re not gonna make fun of me? I just stuttered three times.” He points out as I start to feel like shit. How many times did I do that? He snapped out of his nervousness because he caught that?

“Yea, uh…” I start to feel my pride shrink, the embarrassment rise…

I stay steady. I’ve got to tell him.

“…I’m not doing that today…”

…c’mon, man, spit it out!

“…or anymore.”

Bob’s eyes widen, then start to squint at me with distrust, which makes me feel so much worse… what he adds doesn’t help…

“This isn’t a prank is it?” He asks so defensive I feel my heart wretch. How many times did I make this guy feel like that? I love this guy so much, I made him feel like that for this long?

…should I tell him that?

Trev has told me saying what’s on my mind in order to fix something is a good idea… usually when me and this guy fought… should I do it? I already have nothing to lose when it comes to my ego. I don’t care about it anymore, at least I’m trying not to. How could I have anything to hold onto though! I made a man I consider a friend feel like this… for years…

“…Jimmy?” He asks, as I haven’t spoken in like five seconds, his eyes squinting to ones of curiousness, but softening on the distrust, and moving to… concern. For me.

Even though I’ve been nothing but horrible to him… he’s still concerned for me…

…I feel something fall from my eye.

“…Oh, oh God, Jimmy, are you ok?” He questions turning his whole body to me as his face shifts to a worried look.

I know that look.

It’s the look everyone gets when this happens,

I’m about to cry.

“…can we go to the alley and talk for a minute?” I ask sounding very much anxious, as Bob agrees completely. I really don’t feel like I deserve to be the one crying, but here we are.

“Yes, yea, let’s go.” He says agreeing completely, getting up and following me to the alley.

This is wild. Bonkers.

Bob POV:

Jimmy started tearing up, and I don’t even know why. And now we’re outside in the alleyway of his restaurant. What is he gonna tell me? And also, what am I gonna tell him? That I miss him? That I want to hang out? That these past few months have felt off? That is a lot to lay on a guy who might just hate you, I can’t be sure he doesn’t.

He looks visibly distressed, as though he’s holding something in, and yea I bet, he was about to cry. Why though??

“So… I wanna guess this isn’t a prank, after…” I start to talk, but stop at the middle as I know I don’t really need to say anything else…

Jimmy doesn’t even look at me yet, he’s just looking at the ground, fist held to his mouth, covering it. He looks so… sad?

“…you alright?” I ask as he-

“No, I’m not, at all.” He says, as his hands meet his hips, staring at a very interesting pebble on the ground. His eyes are filled with tears.

Damn… and I thought I was going through the works.

I should tell him I’m not doing too well either.

“…me neither.” I say, followed by him meeting his eyes to mine, surprised.

“…why’re you not?” He asks, I ask.

“Can I ask you first? You look very… not happy, I want to know why if it’s alright.”

After I ask, I get the saddest look from him, looks like it’s filled with guilt. It makes me feel so bad, he looks so fucking sad dude.

After a minute, he answers.

“…I’m so sorry.” He- what?

“You what?” I can’t help but ask him what… what?

“I’m so sorry, for everything.” He says as he sounds like he’s trying to keep a professional voice and demeanor, but is too broken up to keep his voice from trembling a bit, “…you deserve an apology.”

I’m lost for words, he just apologized to me?

…

Wow.

“I was terrible to you, and… It should be said, that I was awful and I’m sorry…” He tried looking me in the eyes but glanced away a second after, eyes absolutely filled with tears.

…that’s… incredible. He’s actually apologizing to me? For everything?

…

“I shouldn’t be reacting like this to apologizing, I’m sorry, it doesn’t make sense.” He says, looking at the wall of his restaurant angrily like he’s mad at himself. “What were you gonna say?” He asks, I answer.

“…I… think… I think I miss you.” I say, trying to be as honest as possible. I think I can trust him now, after seeing how broken up he is… this feels surreal.

His demeanor changes as his eyebrows rise, his eyes grow, seeming to try to find the right words. This DEFINITELY through him for a loop.

“…you miss me?!” He asks, bewildered I even said that, as I start to chuckle a bit out of nervousness.

“Yea, I guess… these past few months of us not seeing eachother has felt… off… and don’t get me wrong, not being pranked or ridiculed has been nice but” I joked on the last bit, only to look up and stop in my tracks, as I see Jimmy’s face.

Absolutely stained in tears.

My eyes widen, I’m lost for words, keeping eye contact with Jimmy.

“…why?” He asks so earnestly a bewildered look flew over my face.

“Why? What do you mean?” I’m so confused as to what he meant by that.

“…why? Why do you miss me? How could you miss me? I was terrible to you!” He announced angrily, doing the Italian hand thing like he was mad at me for missing him.

…WHAT?

“What do you mean, “How could you miss me?” I don’t know!” I yell as his eyebrows dart down, I know he’s about to say something very out of no where.

“You want an answer to that? No common sense! I’m so angry that you’d even put your guard down around me!” He shouts, seeming to be trying to criticize my actions like… a true friend.

“…you’re mad…that I’m trying to be a friend to you? Do you know what you’re acting like?” How does he not realize-

“A friend, I know! Because I can’t believe you’d do something that could end up harming you again! You don’t even care?” Man he’s really mad at me, he’s pacing around.

“I do! I’m not an idiot, if you started again with your old b.s. I’d turn the other way.” I argue as he rebuttals.

“Then turn the other way!”

“You aren’t doing any of that right now! Why should I?” I can tell he’s getting angrier, but I’m not relenting.

This actually kinda feels like how we used to be, except we are arguing about my well being… it’s different… feels better.

“You don’t know whether or not I’ll fall right into old habits! How would you know?”

“If you did I’d cut you off, I’m not an idiot! And you don’t seem like you’d do that, don’t you know what you sound like right now?-“

“YES, I DO, LIKE I CARE ABOUT YOU.” After he shouts that, he looks stunned at himself. Like he wasn’t supposed to say that so boldly.

His anger filled expression and intense demeanor changed to a quieter one… as sadness is starting to peak through. He crosses his arms, and looks away.

“…you’re making a terrible decision. I…” his anger flows off his face from the incoming sadness.

“…your time is better suited for something else. Go back to your restaurant.” He starts to walk back to the entrance, but there’s no way I’m leaving this.

I run up, grab his arm gently, as he turns his whole body dramatically. He looks like an angry cat.

I look up at him, trying convey a look of care, although I’m not very good with expressions.

He looks at me, face softening. I think it worked. I should say something now.

“You… you care so much about me… that you are willing to cut ME off? Of talking to YOU?”

He looks at me, then away, then only looks through glances. His face conveys unbridled guilt.

“…I know it sounds stupid to you, but… it’s a terrible decision to want to be friends with me…” His face morphs, and grows more angered. But not at me.

“…I was an idiot,” he starts up again, eyes filling up again, “I don’t blame you at all when you cut me off-“

My eyes grow wide, as his close in untamable guilt. He really thought I…

“…I never cut you off.”

Jimmy POV:

…what? Trev was right?

I open my eyes and see Bob’s confused and concerned expression. It makes me feel worse… because how could he not cut me off?

“You never cut me off? That wasn’t cutting me off?” I ask without any anger, just confusion. He looks at me in his supportive friend way he does.

“No, I just said I wasn’t gonna let you get to me anymore, I wasn’t cutting you off. You took it as that? And respected it?” He asks, starting to smile.

“…of course I’d respect it, if I didn’t I’d be a bigger asshole.” I say as he smiles bigger. The fact that he’s still trying to become friends with me is so infuriating. Why won’t he get that it’s a terrible decision.

“…can I ask?… you’ve cared about me for a longer while, I just never noticed?” He asks as I-

“Well how could you notice? I was so shitty to you I don’t even blame you for tackling me into open water that one time!” The joke landed very well despite me being super serious, because Bob started chuckling.

“Oh…no, yea, I’m so sorry-“

“Don’t be!” I interrupt, doing the Italian hand thing, “It was an understandable thing to do, after having a man prank and ridicule you for years! On another note, you’re not convincing me this is a good idea for us to talk again!”

“Jimmy, again, are you not realizing you are turning a new leaf right now?-“

“Just because I am right now, doesn’t mean it’s a good decision to be friends with me.” After I say that, Bob’s eyebrows bend to an annoyed look.

“Why? Do you think you’re gonna revert back to your old ways? People can change, you’re doing it right now.”

“Just because people can change, doesn’t mean they deserve a second chance!” I didn’t yell that, but it almost feels like I did.

I look away from him, to the ground. I see another cool pebble. Not relevant.

“…you don’t think you deserve a second chance.” He doesn’t ask that, just states it. He knows it’s true. I know it’s true.

“…yes… now go back.” I don’t look up, I just brush his hand off my arm and go to grab the doorknob of the back door.

Until I feel a pressure on my shirt sleeve. He grabbed it.

“Nuh uh.”

Excuse me?

“The fuck you mean “Nuh uh.”?” I ask, almost completely sounding like I’m giving up, keeping my head down as I know what’s coming. He just won’t STOP.

“No, I’m not going to go back, you want to know why? Because I want to be friends with you! I miss you, I’ve missed you for months! We’ve been at this for what, feels like fifteen years, and have only grown closer each day! You know more about me than my oldest best friend, and we were high school friends!”

…wow.

This monologue is making me dizzy. Not in a bad way. Because I’m getting so much whiplash from this I’m gonna need a damn pepto bismal. And I feel like it isn’t even over. He’s missed me for months?

“I know you were terrible to me, but you were still a friend… I know you helped plan my one birthday, and that ended up being higher than most of the ones I’ve had, top five. And having you out of my life for three months has screwed with my head, and I’m not joking, you must’ve seen me looking over more than one occasion.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at his joke.

“Yea, no, I saw you a couple times.” I say looking at him making sure I don’t make him feel bad by saying “yea no, you did it constantly”. He smiles at me after, and I feel my mood start to switch.

“The only reason I never reached out was because I didn’t think I could trust you, but I wanted to try anyway, because I missed you. And seeing you completely turn a new leaf and be this worried about me, not making fun of me at all, and being this open about everything… is giving me the trust, you are earning the trust right now, Jimmy.”

…that hurt.

“…” I don’t say anything, I’ve got nothing but the same arguments I know he won’t listen to. I don’t believe that I deserve his trust, but he’s gonna disagree. I don’t know if there’s anything I can do to convince him, and I definitely am not gonna be mean to him again.

“…I’m not sure if you got it yet, but I’m not giving up, I’m gonna become your friend.” He jokes as I start laughing quietly.

After a moment, I start to realize… he’s not letting up. He’s not gonna let up. He’s gonna keep fighting for this, and as much as I think I don’t deserve this, he does. He deserves to have me as a friend, at the very least as an ally, if he wants to.

I sigh, completely giving up because I don’t have a choice, as I look down giving him a knowing look and see his face light up.

It makes me extremely happy.

“That’s a sigh of defeat! I won! WE ARE FRIENDS!” He yells as I start chuckling.

“Yay, now what do we do with this now?” I say very out of energy, as this has been very draining, but it seemed to do the opposite for Bob.

“…wanna go over to my restaurant? Linda will be so happy to find out we’re friends, she’s always liked hanging out with you.”

Now that makes me wanna cry again.

“…yea, yea we can.” I say, trying not to cry. I think Bob noticed, because his face was so filled with happiness and warmth.

“Alright, are we going through your restaurant?” He asked kind of like he knows we are infamous for our rivalry. It would be kinda fun to keep people thinking that. I give him a look of “…nah.” As he shared with me that same sentiment.

Bob POV:

“…wanna go around the back?” I ask. Jimmy looks at me with a silent agreement of not wanting to break the town lore.

“Yea” he agrees.

“Alright.”

I still can’t believe it. We’re friends. I’m friends with my old rival. Who was also kinda my friend back then. It happened. We did it. We made it. We’re here.

It feels… man, I lost the word, I was saying a version of it a while ago.

…

Man I’ve missed him.

#bob’s burgers #jimmy pesto sr #bob belcher #linda belcher #trev bob’s burgers #fanart #salarty #salumial #bittersweet fic #tw crying #tw arguing

[groggygrimalkin]

TW SA and Abuse,long heavy personal post

I guess I'm in a sappy mood so I'll talk about why Homestuck means so much to me. For a year I've kinda wanted to make a video about it, and maybe I will, but for now I just wanna talk abt it. I'm not tagging this as hs but serious trigger tag ahead please tell me if you want to tag this as anything

Okay so I got into Homestuck around 2011, I was being pretty heavily abused by my grandma and mom and also neglected by them which is a very weird ass combo, but a story about someone playing a game and having such close friends appealed to me (I also thought Homestuck was an anime before finding the comic and would look up like "Homestuck episode 1" and get mad when I couldnt find it lmao). Now keep in mind I was a child so like media literacy wasn't my strong suit but I still retained and understood a good ammount of stuff mainly about characters. Anyways as a child naturally does I started talking about it with all of my friends and tried to get them into it, and one friend got REALLY into it. The best I can describe it is like that episode of the Cuphead show where Mugman likes piano and Cuphead gets into it and immediately overshadows him. But I was still happy to have someone to talk about it with. My favorite characters at the time were Meulin, Nepeta, and Damara and I would happily talk about them, but the person would shit on me for liking Meulin claiming she was a bad person and constantly pointing out all her flaws, it annoyed me because they're favourite characters had TONS of flaws they didn't acknowledge but for some reason me loving Meulin was the worst thing ever. I also loved the Midnight Crew and later to my chagrin they did too. I kept reading as updates came out and soon Homestuck became their entire thing, I remember going over their house because at a certain point they were my only friend and they talked to me about Homestuck like I didn't introduce them to it. But yknow, okay, whatever. We would ship our ocs with Canon characters and pretend to be characters and stuff, pretty standard until one day they came over my house and insisted on being Dualscar. They wrote a fic about him doing it with one of my ocs and I was just kinda happy for the attention. Anyways we were rping in real life and I don't remember when, or how, but they had me pinned to the couch and were insistent I let them touch me because we were role-playing and they were Dualscar. Now I've always lowkey been ace, especially in my younger years, so I was pretty uncomfortable, and even if I wasnt asexual someone having you pinned down insisting on touching you when you're not consenting isnt a fun time. Anyways they did stuff like this a few times more in various places and would get mad when I said no to their advances. But for some reason I kept hanging out with them. They were gross and rude and pushy but the only friend I had. I remember them basically assigning me Diamonds Droog kin which I didn't care because I liked Droog(still do) and would pretend to be Slick and suprise suprise would try and molest me. I began to get bitter towards Homestuck, something I once loved was being used against me in one of the worst ways possible. It was a weird time because I would just begrudgingly read the updates I once loved. Anyways when I was 15 they molested me again and it was the worst one, like I wouldn't let my family members hug me for years type of bad. I remember the exact video I was watching when it happened, Game grumps playing Silent Hills PT. I couldn't watch that video for years after. I also remember them showing me really fucked up porn between characters and when I asked like "Hey isn't that weird?" They did the ol' "Ugh it's just fictional!!" Sheit. Anyways at a certain point Homestuck was just ruined for me. I finished it just to say I did and when people asked me if I liked it I would lie and say I didn't. Thankfully I broke it off with them after nine fucking years of knowing eachother. For years I continued to say I dislike homestuck until I got like 22...I stumbled upon Hiveswap and it was funny all of the troll and Alternia facts I could remember, I was hesitant at first and was still like "Ugh but I don't REALLY like it!!" And then I saw....Them....

It was a weird feeling accepting that "Yep I like Homestuck I've been lying to myself for years" and I bought friendsim. I was hooked emmediately. It was like a flood of love I had for homestuck when I started in 2011 all came rushing back, the person who hurt me didn't matter, all that mattered is that I was enjoying it again. Tbh like alot of stuff from my first read was sort of still in my mind, so I stuck to watching recap videos and reading segments I couldnt remember and holy shit there was so much I missed as a child. And then I got Hiveswap and BAM I'm hooked even more, and then

AND THEN...

I rewatched and re-read the first intermission...

And it was set in stone that I'm a Homestuck at heart. It was like walking into a bar I hadn't been to in years and all of my old friends were there to welcome me, I was enjoying something again that used to bring me so much comfort before it was ruined for me, but it didn't have to be anymore. I think I sobbed when I realized that. It feels nice to enjoy something that for years was soured for me.

Uh yeah that's why homestucka and hiveswap means so much to me. Opening this blog has been an amazing way for me to get into the fandom which I never have before. I'll probably be an old man talking about leprechauns and trolls but I'll be happy.

#personal #sa mention

[bellysoupset]

Wanna do a fic where Vince finally reckons with Wendy and forgives her (albeit begrudgingly) for the Pussy Magnet incident? Either one can be the sickee but we definitely gotta see Vince’s tender side come out. Whether it’s from seeing her in a vulnerable state, or from realizing that holy shit those back rubs and gentle forehead touches checking for a temp are actually feeling really good, I wanna see them get closer with each other!

So this got a little plot, so disclaimer: It's a long read. Still I'm very happy with it! Tingling romance is my jaaam, thank you for the request!!

"Okay, I get why Lucas has to go," Vince said slowly, "because Bell wants to go and him and Jonah have this weird shared history-" which he was absolutely not jealous about, "and I get why you want to go since you two are friends or whatever," he continued, pointing at Leo, "but why do I need to go?"

Leo glared at him, not in the mood to humor Vince's bullshit today, "because you're his friend even if you pretend you're not and it's his birthday. I expect you to be bring a gift, be there at seven, sharp."

"Sharp," Vince repeated, sarcastically as Leo picked up his gym bag and barged off the gym. He sighed, now not only he was going to a party he didn't want to go to, but he had to wrap the gift he had gotten for Jonah.

Jonah was a fancy motherfucker who, unlike Lucas, made sure people knew it at all times. His birthday party was in the restaurant that was in the terrace of the fanciest business building in town.

Vince grimaced, looking around for his friends, fidgeting in the formal pants and the itchy blazer. He hated dressing up -

"Oh look at you," a voice said from behind him and he turned around to find Bella, who looked just as out of place as he did, "you clean up nice, Vin."

"Almost as well as you do," he smiled, kissing her cheek. Her auburn hair was up in a messy bun that he knew was not purposefully messy, but looked good nonetheless. He could count in one hand the amount of times he had seen Bell in a dress, but the simple mini black dress suited her well, "where's Luke?"

"Hiding somewhere," Bella grinned, "this place is packed full with his high school buddies."

Vince looked around, feeling twenty times more self conscious now. It was bad enough being in a fancy party, but it was worse knowing the people around him, full of judgment, were his best friend's old acquaintances.

"I thought he went to high school in Switzerland or some shit?"

"I did," Lucas grumbled, thumping his back as he appeared and then wrapping an arm around Bell, "Jonah kept in touch with a bunch of the guys, they've flown in to see him."

"Christ", Vince frowned, "where's the birthday bo-"

He cut himself short as he saw Jonah.

Jon, with a brilliant smile on his face, chatting with Wendy and a bunch of other people from med school.

"Not her," Vince pouted and then heard a hum in affirmation.

"He's been glued to her all night," Leo said from his right, downing a flute of champagne, "it's been hell."

Vince raised his eyebrows, he knew why he was bitter towards Wendy, but he had no idea what she could've possibly done to upset Leo, of all people, who was a ball of sunshine.

"Have you met?" Lucas asked, while Bella studied Jonah and Wendy, her blue eyes squinting and sparkling as if they were a puzzle piece.

"She's the med student who checked on me at the hospital when I had the flu, past month."

"Oh," Lucas frowned, "then why don't you lik-"

"They're coming over."

"I have eyes, Leo, thanks," Vince scoffed, only to force a plastic smile as Jonah walked their way, pulling Wendy by the hand. Literally what the fuck was up with those two?

"Hey guys-"

"Hi Pussy Magnet," Wendy said, her voice all bubbly and Vince's cheeks burned, while Leo scowled at her, "how are you tonight?"

"I was fine until now," he glared at her, while Bella raised her eyebrows.

"Pussy Magnet? Do I wanna know what this is about?"

"You do, girl," Wendy's hazel eyes sparkled with mischief, "big guy over here fainted at the fundraiser's fair becaus-"

"Are you gonna make a point of telling everyone you meet about this?" Vince snapped at her and she looked taken back, for a split second, before she flashed him a sharp smile.

"I don't know, I think I could tell at least ten more people before it stops being funny, Pussy Magnet."

Vince opened his mouth to retort, but Jonah interrupted him by laughing and rolling his eyes.

"It's really not that big of a deal, Vin," he said and he sounded so happy, much to Vince's absolute dismay. He would hate to ruin his birthday.

"Right," he cringed, "oh look, finger food-" and he took the chance to get as far away from Wendy as possible. God, he really didn't like her.

Leo threw him a desperate look as he moved away, but Vince simply squeezed his shoulder and bolted away. He circled the bar and went into a separate room of the restaurant, filling his hands up with canapes.

He attempted to blend in with the wall, an incredibly easy task when you were a large football player like him.

It was nearly forty minutes later when Jonah cornered him, nearby the fireplace and sipping on water, while overhearing the drama of one of Lucas and Jonah's old school mates. Rich people had the best gossip, he decided, fully entertained by the soap opera of "and then he married his step daughter!"

"There you are," Jonah smiled, leaning on the wall next to him and Vince scoffed.

"Yeah, because I'm easy to miss," he mumbled, then winced. Jonah's night, play nice, he reminded himself, "sorry. Happy birthday, Jon."

"Thanks," Jonah's tone went back to his normal one, "I can't take this party anymore. I've never smiled so much in my life."

Vince laughed at that, surprised, "I thought you were enjoying yourself."

"I am," Jonah shrugged, "but smiling so much? Being the center of attention for hours? That's a lot."

"Tell me about it," Vince raised his water as if to toast and Jonah looked at him intently.

"I think you hurt Wendy's feelings."

Vince spluttered his water, "I hurt her feelings?!" he choked, wiping the water down his chin, "Jon, c'mon now-"

"She got all excited when she realized you were here."

"I wasn't born yesterday, I can tell she doesn't like me, man," Vince rolled his eyes, "what's the deal with you two anyway?"

It was Jonah's turn to splutter, utterly confused, "our deal...?"

"Yeah, you're all... Sweet and touchy around her."

"I'm friendly," Jonah frowned, "I'm friendly with everyone."

Vince rolled his eyes, "have you met yourself?"

"Are you calling me an asshole on my birthday? Who's the asshole here, Vincent?"

"My name is not even Vincent, it's Vincenzo, just so you know" Vince couldn't help a smile, "and fine, sorry. But c'mon, Jon, don't act like you act like that with everyone."

"She's nice," Jonah sighed, "I don't know, I just... I get her, I guess."

Vince paused, thinking about what his friend said and couldn't help but nod in understanding. So far, with her ability to piss him off at every turn, Jonah and Wendy seemed like very similar people. It made sense they clicked.

"You should maybe... I don't know, clarify to Leo you're not dating her," Vince said, trying not to make it awkward and failing miserably. He had always felt the weird vibe between Leo and Jon, but it wasn't until Jon had spelled it out for him G-A-Y that he had thought maybe it could be more than just a one sided crush from Leo's part.

"Leo?" Jonah blinked a bunch of times, "you realize he's into you not me, right?"

Vince grinned at him, "everyone's into me, man, c'mon now."

"Oh fuck off," Jonah shoved his arm, causing Vince to shove him back, still smiling.

"I'm just saaaying, he might be all heart eyes when he sees me shirtless, but he's not jealous over me with a girl," Vince whispered, leaning in, "get your shit together, Jon."

"Only after you get yours," Jonah pushed him away, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips, "go apologize to my friend."

"...Really?" Vince did not whine, "do I have to? She's just gonna call me Pussy Magnet again and then make fun of me for passing out at the ER."

"Vince," Jonah wrinkled his nose, "grow up."

"Your wish is a command, birthday boy," Vince rolled his eyes, before scanning the room, "I don't see her anywhere."

Jonah shrugged, patted his arm and moved away, as if to tell him he'd not be helping find Wendy. Vince sighed, moving to the next room.

Lucas and Bell were chatting with people Vince didn't recognize and Leo had found Mikey and Ryan. Still, no Wendy.

He moved outside the hallway, to the large hallway, but besides two different couples making out, he didn't find her there either. Maybe she had left.

Vince moved outside the restaurant, to the terrace part of the penthouse, where some people were talking, others smoking... He had about given up, decided she had probably left early, when he saw a blur of green.

In the further corner of the terrace, away from the restaurant view. He stepped closer, wondering if it was truly her, but then she moved slightly and yeah - It was her.

Vince sighed, climbing over the two steps that separated her section of the piers from the rest. She was bracing against the railing that separated her and falling to certain death, 33th floors under. Vince didn't even attempt glancing down, just being this close was already unnerving.

"Hi-"

She jumped, startled, then she saw him and Wendy wrinkled her nose in disgust, "Oh, it's you," she scoffed, turning away from him once more and glaring at the spectacular view.

Vince grind his teeth, shoved his hands in his pockets and tried not to be annoying. For Jon, "yeah, it's me. Look, I just wanted to uh..." he hesitated at apologize, because she hadn't even bothered to turn and look at him. Rude much? "to apologize," Vince forced out, "I was rude before... And at the hospital. And at the fair."

"Uhm," was Wendy's eloquent answer and he pouted.

"I didn't mean to offend you with the pussy magnet jacket joke, but clearly I did. It was in bad tast-"

"Oh god," she groaned, hands planted on the railing and letting her head hang in the space between her arms. Vince's pride stung.

"It wasn't even that bad, c'mon-"

"Fuck, can't you just- Shut up?" Wendy groaned and he felt his temper start to get the best of him, but then she let out another moan and his confusion overrode the anger.

"Uh... Are you alright?" he asked, frowning.

"Not really," she groaned and Vince raised his eyebrows. She sounded too coherent to be wasted, even with the powerful fancy alcohol.

"What's wrong?" he asked, taking a tentative step closer and she raised her head, facing him directly for the first time since he had approached her.

She had makeup on, but no amount of blush could hide how horribly pale she was. Her mascara had smeared at the corners, but it didn't look like she had been crying, just teary...

"Wendy?"

"My head's killing me," she answered, wincing in pain and once again lowering her head, chin to her chest, "you can go, I just need some fresh air."

Yeah, fuck no he was leaving her like that, Vince thought, rolling his eyes and stepping even closer.

"Do you get migraines?" he asked softly and she nodded slowly.

"I didn't feel this one coming, though," she said in a small voice, squeezing the railing a little tighter and pressing her lips in a thin line, "could you go? I... I'd rather you didn't witness this."

"Feeling sick?" he guessed, wincing in sympathy. Both his mom and baby sister had premenstrual migraines, he wasn't new to this. Wendy let out a pitiful groan, which was answer enough.

He sighed and gently pulled her hair back. It was wavy and chin length, so it wasn't pulled back like Bell's had been, just hanging freely around her face, ready to get coated in vomit.

"You don't have to-"

"It's fine," he cut her off, "forget I'm here."

"Kinda hard," Wendy groaned, then a tiny little burp rolled past her lips and she whimpered, snapping her mouth shut. Vince frowned, noticing how hard she was trying to keep it together, he didn't know if it was due to the fancy party or him being there.

"You're just gonna make yourself feel worse," he whispered, bunching up her hair in one hand and using the other one to rub her back. She was wearing a green dress that had a structured top and open back, so his hand rested directly onto her skin, "let it out, honey."

Another little whimper from her and Wendy leaned further over the railing, body shaking with a weak heave. She let out a pained sob, "hurtss..."

And all the music and chattering probably wasn't helping in the least, Vince thought, but what he said was, "you're alright, it'll be over in a minute."

He heard a gurgle go up from her stomach and then she burped up a stream of vomit over the railing, tinted pale yellow by the champagne. He grimaced, both in queasiness and just sympathy.

Black mascara tears ran down her cheeks and he waited until she stopped gagging and fighting for air, before reaching in and wiping them out. Vince gave her a minute of absolute silence, then said, "better?"

"A little," she sniffled, avoiding his eyes, "I think I'm gonna go home, before I make an even bigger fool of myself."

"Do you need a ride?" He heard himself say, before he could think through that offering. She looked just as shocked as he felt.

To her credit, she recovered quickly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and shaking her head, "No, you've done a lot already and I wouldn't want to impo-"

"I'm leaving anyway," Vince insisted and cringed. He sounded desperate, but he felt partially responsible for her, now that he knew what bad shape she was in. Wendy's cheeks turned red and she twisted her hands.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," he agreed, "let's go?"

She walked by his side, accepting the hand he offered her to get down the taller deck part. He watched as she grimaced and gulped down as they passed by the people who were smoking, but Vince also raised his eyebrows as he watched her wipe the corners of her makeup and straighten up as they entered the party, patting her cheeks to get some color back in her face. If he hadn't watched her just puke, he wouldn't have believed it.

"I'm just gonna go grab my purse, say bye to Jon," she said quietly, standing tall and stepping away from him. He waited until she stepped away to find Lucas in the crowd.

Him and Bell were sitting down at a couch, feeding each other dessert and being disgustingly adorable.

"I'm gonna drive Wendy home, can you pick me up so I can get my bike?" Vince asked in one breath, causing Lucas' eyebrows to shot up so far that they disappeared in his hair.

"Wend- What?"

"Lucas," He groaned, trying to vocalize there was no time to get in details now.

"Just take a cab to the dorms, I'll take your motorcycle there tomorrow," Bella answered for Lucas and Vince gave her a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Beautiful," he said, then saw Wendy move to the door, all smiles to Jonah and shaking her head as she probably reassured him she was absolutely fine, "goodnight guys."

"Goodnight!" Bell said, while Lucas still looked confused and whispered to his girlfriend.

"Didn't he hate her five minutes ago?"

He caught up with Wendy at the hallway. Now outside, her brilliant smile vanished and she winced at the bright lights.

"I'm really sorry for ruining your night," she said in a small voice and Vince rolled his eyes, following her into the elevator.

"You didn't," he opened his hand, "car keys, please."

She tried getting them out of her purse, but her hands were shaking and eventually she just shoved the whole purse into his hands and crumpled against the elevator's wall, closing her eyes and resting her hands on her knees.

"Don't do that, you're gonna get even more nauseous," Vince warned her, "inertia and all that sh-"

She jostled with an aborted heave, clamping a tiny hand to her lips. He grimaced.

"Wendy?"

"Please," she whimpered, eyes squeezed shut, fighting against the nausea and the pain. Vince looked around the fancy elevator, but like any rich people's property, there was no trashcan to be seen and they still had 29 floor to go.

She gagged again and he saw her visibly swallow down, "'m gonna be sick..." Wendy whimpered, sounding awfully close to tears and Vince's heart squeezed.

"Fuck this," he scoffed, stripping down his blazer and cupping it under her mouth, "you're alright, I got you."

She shook her head, "No, please-"

"Shhh," Vince shushed her, tucking the strands of hair away from her mouth and moving behind her, so he could hold her jacket in front of her mouth and still hold her hair, "it's okay, you're alright-"

Her tiny frame shook with one more heave and then more champagne vomit poured out of her mouth, right into the jacket cocoon he had made.

Wendy whimpered, grabbing at the blazer to bring it closer to her mouth and Vince sighed in pure sympathy. He felt impossibly bad for her.

"Almost at the garage," he promised, eyeing the elevator hit the 18. She coughed again, puked another tiny stream and then sniffled pitifully just as they hit the 7th floor, finally seeming to get her stomach under control.

"I'm so so sorry-"

"It's just a jacket, honey, don't worry," Vince shrugged, "and a super cheap one at that, it was hella itchy."

She let out a hysterical giggle at that, "god, Vince, don't make me laugh."

They hit the garage without further mishaps and he discarded the jacket in the first trashcan they found, all while Wendy pouted like a kicked puppy.

He planted his hands on her exposed shoulders, squeezing them, "stop worrying, I can hear it from here - So which one is yours?"

She pointed a pink car and he snorted. Of course.

After she had rattled out her address for him to put in the GPS, she curled up on the passenger seat and went quiet, pain written on the lines of her delicate face. Vince stole a quick glance at her here and there, feeling bad when he pulled up in her building and had to reach in to shake her.

"Hey... Wendy?"

She blinked slowly, realizing they had made it inside the garage once more and sighed in relief at being home.

"Thank you, Vince... Do you wanna come up?"

"Nah, another day," he said before registering what he had said. Her cheeks turned red and she nodded... Then leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you. So much, you have no idea."

Vince's entire face burned and he cursed himself for blushing so easily, "anytime, honey," he shrugged, voice cracking slightly and getting out of the car, towards the exit of the building though.

-----

Five days later, he came to his dorm to find a large black box in front of his door, with a silver bow on top. The card read "Thanks for the help, Pussy Magnet. XOXO - Wendy"

It was an Italian fine blazer.

#emetophilia #migraine #sickfic #wendy marshall #mywriting